Beatrice Wright

Mrs. Beatrice Wright, also known as “Bea” or “Mama”, was born in Armorel, Arkansas to Mealey and Joe Foster on November 26, 1920. While still very young her family moved from Armorel to Osceola, Arkansas which is where she grew up, and often spoke of fondly. While in Osceola she met and married Alex Malone. Though they divorced at a young age, Beatrice’s lifelong journey of motherhood and caregiving began. Due to the times, Beatrice received very little formal education. However, this never stopped her from finding and creating ways to care for her children. She worked in the cotton fields picking and chopping cotton (often with a baby on her hip), sewing for others, and cleaning houses to earn a living. Beatrice then met David Wright Sr. and shared over 70 years of a beautiful marriage. While still in Arkansas they became entrepreneurs, although they may not have thought of themselves as such. They started a small transportation business driving people to the fields to work for a penny a day. The second eldest son, Robert, was the driver. Beatrice and David moved to Indianapolis, IN in 1959 where she began her career as a nurse’s aide. Along with being a nurse’s aide she often worked as a cook. Because she loved to feed others and see them enjoy her food, cooking never seemed like work to her. Beatrice retired early to become the primary caregiver for David and his mother Modean Gause, and to continue her most precious work of being a homemaker. Several years after David passed, Beatrice, while in her 70s, decided to return to the workforce as a cook at the Southeast Senior Center. She worked there until she retired again at the age of 80. She continued to drive well into her 90s, until 2016, when she finally laid down her keys to her last Cadillac. Beatrice loved to laugh, dance (her favorite dance being “the funky chicken”), crack jokes, watch her “cowboy shows”, and read her Bible. She also loved to shop, wearing her 3-inch-high heels until her late 80’s. She was very quick-witted and kept you on your toes. However, most of all, she fiercely loved the Lord. Not long after moving to Indianapolis, she became a member of Olivet Missionary Baptist Church which originally sat at the end of Hosbrook St. which is the same street that her home was on, Southside! She truly enjoyed serving on the usher board for several years. She then moved her membership to New Hope Missionary Baptist Church when her second eldest son became pastor. She continued to serve the Lord through ushering at New Hope. Beatrice Wright was a force to be reckoned with and anyone that knew her considered themselves fortunate. Beatrice was preceded in death by her husband, David L. Wright, Sr.; son, Alex Malone, Jr. (Shirley); daughter-in-law, Laura Malone (Robert); granddaughter, Robyn Malone; grandson, Andre’ Wright; great-grandson, Tyler Futrell; brother, Raymond Foster; brother, Robert Earl Foster; and her parents, Mealey and Joe Foster. Beatrice leaves to cherish her memory, her children, Robert Malone (Laura), Steve Malone, Mae Harbor (Richard), Bonnie Sanders (Reggie), David Wright, Jr., Danny Wright, Charles Wright (Connie), Clifford Wright, Sr. (Vivian), Shirley Wright-Burrell (Leo), 35 grandchildren, 80 great-grandchildren, many great-great-grandchildren, and an abundance of others that loved her.