William Morgan Wright of Richmond, Virginia, formerly of Warsaw, joined the Lord on Friday, October 12, 2018, surrounded by family.
Bill was born in Warsaw, Virginia on September 29, 1927 to Fannie May Morgan Wright and Thomas Temple Wright. He attended the Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia, and the University of Virginia, where he played football for the Cavaliers. While a student at UVA, he met his future wife, Gladys Nance Joyner, a student at the College of William and Mary. The two were married in 1952, and moved first to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and then to Kinston, North Carolina before settling in Warsaw.
Bill was active in the Warsaw community, and through the years served as the Chief of the Richmond County Volunteer Fire Department, a Director of the Northern Neck State Bank, a Director of Union Bankshares Corp., and as Senior Warden of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Warsaw.
At 28 years old, Bill founded Wood Preservers Inc., a wood treating company that would grow to serve customers up and down the East Coast, and to become a significant employer in the Northern Neck area. The company Bill built and the relationships he formed with customers and employees remain among his most lasting legacies. After his family, Bill’s love of Warsaw, the Potomac River, and the people of the Northern Neck were the bedrock of his life.
He was predeceased by his wife, Gladys, his parents and his sister, Elizabeth Lee Wright.
He is survived by numerous family and friends, including his children, Thomas Temple Wright II, Janie Wright Morgan (Pat), Marion Ryvers Wright (Viveca) and William Morgan Wright, Jr. (Laura); his grandchildren, William Morgan Wright III (Katie), Emily Simpson Wright, Anna Nance Morgan, Rachael Renee Wright, Katherine Elizabeth Wright and Thomas Felipe Richards Wright; and his nieces and nephews, Lori Guidry, Sherri Douthat, Marion Ryvers Joyner III, and Christopher Joyner.
Bill was much loved and respected, and will be deeply missed. A memorial service and interment will be held on October 19, 2018 at 11:00 AM at St John’s Episcopal Church in Warsaw. The family will greet guests following the interment. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to St. John’s Episcopal Church (PO Box 1093, Warsaw, VA, 22572) or to the Chaplain’s Fund at Westminster Canterbury (1600 Westbrook Avenue, Richmond, VA, 23227).
To send flowers to the family of William Morgan Wright, please visit our Heartfelt Sympathies Store.
