Mary Evelyn Thompson Wright

Mary Evelyn Thompson Wright

1928-2015

A beautiful, gracious, loving, generous, and kind-hearted encourager. A CBS Bible Study leader, MDUMC circle leader, wife, mother and friend. A woman who made the best of her circumstances and never complained. Born February 23, 1928 in Vernon, Texas to Lewis and Gertrude Thompson, Mary was many things to many people but most of all she was beloved.

Mary was a beloved wife. While a young girl in Hobart, she met the love of her life, William D. “Dub” Wright. Their high school romance carried them through the war years, and they married in 1946. Dub wrote her a series of love letters that survive to this day. The happy couple raised 4 children together, traveled all over the United States and part of western Europe, and celebrated over 46 years of marriage before Dub passed away in 1992.

Mary was a beloved mother. Dan, Melinda, Julie and Allison – children who learned the meaning of unconditional love from her tender care. She embodied graciousness and taught her children the art of hospitality. She modeled humility and kindness in her relationships. A smile, a hug, a phone call, a note, a prayer and the investment of time – all offered wholeheartedly and without a thought to her own needs. She celebrated the birth of 9 grandchildren: Robert Wright; Tara, Derek, and Bria Cooper; Madeline, Celeste, and Walker Ligon; and Ryan and Grace Whitmire; and 5 great grandchildren: Faith, Jake, Marley, and Mackey Fogerson; and Miles Cooper. Treasured also were her relationships with her children’s spouses: Debbie Wright, Laurence Ligon and Mark Whitmire.

Mary was a beloved friend. Her best friend, Johnnie Reaves, embroidered her a pillow that read “It takes a long time to grow an old friend, but I did it”. She and Johnnie enjoyed a friendship that spanned 57 years. Mary made friends easily and kept them forever.

Most importantly, Mary was a beloved child of God. She loved surprises and gifts, yet passionately felt the greatest gift was her faith, rooted in a God who “so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son, that whoever should believe in Him, should not perish but have eternal life.” Mary has entered into that eternal glory, and is with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, filled with joy, peace and everlasting love.

“Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in Him, for He shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders.” Deut 33:12