Donald’s Obituary Donald E. Wright, age 88, of Dennison, Ohio, died Friday, May 3, 2019, at the Truman Hospice House in New Philadelphia after a period of declining health. He was born February 23, 1931 in Cadiz, Ohio to the late William and Mary Wright. Don was a pillar of the Twin Cities who believed in the importance of education and the value of community service.
He graduated from Dennison High School in 1949, and he served his country in the U.S. Army from 1953-1955. The first in his family to attend college, Don received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Kent State University. He started his career teaching and coaching at Dover City Schools.
He then returned to Dennison where he became the principal of his alma mater, Dennison High School. When Dennison and Uhrichsville consolidated their schools in 1965, Don became the Principal of Claymont Junior High. He held that position for twenty-five years until his retirement in 1990.
During his time as Principal, Don also served as the Transportation Director for the Claymont City Schools. Don had a deep and unwavering affection for his former teachers and students. They returned that affection by regularly including him in reunions and informal gatherings throughout the remainder of his life.
He greatly appreciated every opportunity to talk with a former student, meet with a former teacher, or play a round of golf and eat breakfast with friends at his favorite course, Big Bend in Uhrichsville. True to his nature, Don’s retirement was busy and filled with service to others. He was a fixture at area college, high school, and junior high track and field and cross country meets where he served as an official.
Officiating brought Don great joy, and he enjoyed watching the area’s athletes succeed. For over twenty years, he officiated at the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s State Championship Track and Field Meet. His collegiate officiating experience included the Big Ten Conference Championships, the MAC Conference Championships, and the Division III Championships.
In 1992, Don was selected as an official for the U.S. Olympic Trials in New Orleans, Louisiana. Don’s outstanding service as an official was recognized in 2005 when he was inducted into the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s Officiating Hall of Fame. And, in his honor, each year Claymont Junior High hosts the Don Wright Invitational Track and Field Meet.
Don was a member of the Clayland Lions Club for many years, having previously served as the organization’s president. In recognition of his work with the Lions Club, Don received the Melvin Jones Award—the Lions Club’s highest honor. Don supported the Claymont Foundation, which distributes teacher grants, student scholarships, and academic achievement awards to those in the Claymont City Schools.
In 2007, the Claymont Foundation honored Don as its “Citizen of the Year”. His various other community activities and honors are too numerous to list, but they include serving on the Twin City Hospital Board, coaching little league, helping elementary students learn to read, volunteering for the Special Olympics, and parking cars at Ohio State football games (an activity he especially enjoyed). Throughout his life, Don was an avid fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes, the Cleveland Indians, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Cleveland Browns.
Always the educator, Don taught his kids and several of his grandkids how to keep the scorebook for basketball and baseball games. He had the good fortune of attending several World Series games when the Indians made their runs at the title in the mid-1990s, and he was overjoyed to live long enough to see the Cleveland Cavaliers win a championship in 2016. Don’s commitment to his community was surpassed only by his love and admiration for his family.
He was a dedicated and beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Don supported his children and grandchildren in all their endeavors, and he rarely missed one of their activities. On August 5, 1951, Don married the former Helen Shipton, with whom he enjoyed nearly sixty-eight years of marriage.
In addition to his wife, Don is survived by three children, Connie (Jack) Bolitho, Michael (Laurie) Wright, and Jeffrey (Pamela) Wright; six grandchildren, Nicholas (Jenny) Bolitho, Zachary (Kayla) Bolitho, Heather (Samson) Sulzener, Ryan (Macy) Wright, Kimberly (fiancé, Matt Monroe) Wright, and Keith Wright; eight great-grandchildren, Zoe and Scarlett Bolitho, Sutton and Hazel Bolitho, Tytan and Harper Sulzener, and Ellie and Kopper Wright; and a brother, Gary (Patty) Wright. Aside from his parents, Don was preceded in death by a brother, Bobby Wright, and two sisters, Maryann Hicks and Ruth McPeek. Visitation will be on Tuesday, May 7, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at R.K. Lindsey Funeral Home in Dennison.
A private family funeral service will be held with Pastor Mike Travis presiding. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Claymont Foundation’s Don and Helen Wright Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 222, Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683. R.K. Lindsey Funeral Home, Inc. (740) 922-1970 www.
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