Norman William Wright

Norman William Wright

July 11, 1936 – August 12, 2022

Norman William Wright passed away on Friday, August 12th in Raymond, AB. Norman leaves behind five children and eight grandchildren: Kim Wright (and Shawn Cunningham) of Santa Ana, CA; Kathy (and Steve) Rugh of Colorado Springs, CO and their daughter Grace (Jake Walker); Darren Wright of Phoenix, AZ; David (and Niki) Wright of Magrath, AB and their children Connor, Chayse (Ellen), Navy and Will; Jared (and Katie) Wright of Gilbert, AZ and their children Chloe, Margot and Kai; and his brother-in-law, David John Gibb, and his family. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Geraldene Kay Gibb Wright, and his three older brothers, Murray, Donald, and Chester.

Norman was born in Calgary, Alberta in 1936 to Edgar Clifford and Olive May (Bullerwell) Wright. He grew up in the Bankview neighborhood and attended Western Canada High School. He joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints as a young adult and was a faithful and devoted member for the rest of his life. He served a mission in Australia and attended Brigham Young University, earning a degree in Business. He met Geraldene at a church dance. They married in 1963 and resided in Calgary where they raised their family. Norm and Gerry moved to Magrath in 2013 where they enjoyed being a daily presence in the lives of their grandchildren. After 57 years of marriage, Norm still referred to Gerry as his sweetheart.

Blessed with a wide variety of interests, Norman enjoyed a varied career in diverse fields. He drove a bus for Greyhound, was a purchasing manager for Canada for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and owned and operated a gas station in Midnapore. Together with his brother Don, he formed a company called Willowglen, which installed electronics in the newly built Calgary International Airport.

Norman was a friendly and intelligent man and had an inquisitive nature. He and Don audited courses as adult learners at the University of Calgary for the sheer pleasure of learning. He enjoyed conversing on a wide range of topics and loved to strike up conversations with strangers. He especially enjoyed cars, good food, and music. He had an innate musical gift and sang and played the piano beautifully, despite the lack of any formal training. He could listen to a song on the radio and then play the song on the piano, improvising as he played and creating something entirely new. He played the piano in a band as a teenager and later served as ward organist for many years. His booming bass voice contributed to many church choirs. He had a lot of love in his heart and shared that love unconditionally with his family, despite the antics of his five spirited children.

In lieu of flowers, contributions to the Good Samaritan Society Prairie Ridge in Raymond, AB are gratefully requested. We are so thankful for the wonderful people at Good Sam for taking such good care of both Norm and Gerry in their later years.

A funeral service will be held on August 20 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Magrath Stake Centre, 21 East 1 Ave S. Friends meet family at 10:00AM with service to follow at 11:00AM.

Please click this link to view the Recording of the Service

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