Andrew “Bill” Wright, Jr., 88, of Richmond, Va. died October 22, 2011. He was preceded in death by his sister, Dorothy Wright Brown. Survivors include his wife and devoted companion of 62 years, Martha Mills Wright; sons, William Andrew III, Gary, Tim and Chris; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Wright was born in Durant, Okla. in 1922. During the World War II, he served in the Army Air Corps 27th Air Transport Group as a technical sergeant and flight engineer aboard the B-17, B-24, C-47 and other aircraft. His son, Tim Wright, related that one of the few stories he would tell from the war involved transporting the Glenn Miller Band across Europe.
Wright received a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Arkansas, and two of his sons are U of A graduates as well. He proposed to his wife Martha in 1948 while they were listening to the radio broadcast of an Arkansas versus SMU football game.
Wright, a former chief engineer at Reynolds Metals Company, retired in 1986, after 30 years. Other than his family, his only other passions were reading and aviation. Before moving to Virginia, Bill and a cousin had been the proud owners of a small airplane that provided his sons with some of their most cherished memories.