5/16/2024
Hazel Wilson Wright was born and raised in Newport, PA as the fourth of seven children. She was quietly but intensely devoted to her family, earning the nickname “Pup” for the way she followed her beloved father, James Wilson, around the house. Intelligent and an excellent student, she graduated as salutatorian of her Newport High School class and always loved to read. Caring for others was a way of life for Hazel, as she earned a degree in nursing at Millersville University. Her career would encompass serving as a school nurse, a registered nurse, and a benefits administrator, prior to her final position as a health administrator at a substance abuse facility.
While she knew Walter Wright since kindergarten, their romance did not blossom until he returned from college and invited her to join him for coffee. Even though she did not care for coffee at that time, she accepted the invitation and quickly became attached to both coffee and Walter. They became husband and wife in January of 1957, and began a family that would eventually include six children and thirteen grandchildren. Despite a tight budget, she and Walter never denied a request for music lessons, dance lessons, or scouting and sports activities. Every year featured a family vacation spent hiking and camping in mountains and parks around the country, with Hazel managing to feed the entire family with only a mini-fridge and a charcoal grill or gas burner.
Along with travel and the Philadelphia Phillies, cooking was her true passion, and her homemade breads, sticky buns and dessert buffets were legendary. Her contributions to large gatherings were always instantly recognizable because of the tiny corner missing from every dish. She also loved music, particularly Broadway show tunes and classical symphonies. She never missed a beat as she sang her favorite show tunes while running up and down the stairs to the laundry room, although her lyrics were often more creative than accurate.
The one thing Hazel could not do well was sit still. Sitting in front of the television with the family meant folding laundry, fixing a jigsaw puzzle, or knitting yet another pair of mittens. Some very lucky people received the gift of an original afghan, thanks to Hazel’s never-ending productivity. Hazel died peacefully on May 16 after a lengthy illness, just three weeks shy of her 90th birthday. She is preceded in death by daughter Karen and husband Walter, and survived by sisters Anne Wilson and Linda Goldhart, and by her children Debra, Kimberly, Joanne, Douglas and William, and by thirteen grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held for her and her late husband, Walter, at Highland Presbyterian Church in Lancaster, PA on June 28, 2024. The visitation will begin at 10:00, followed by the service at 11:00. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Fairmount Sharing Fund of Fairmount Homes in Ephrata, PA, or to the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org.
The service will also be live-streamed with a link available on the home page of the church website (https://www.highlandpc.org/). You will also be able to view the service for 2 weeks after on the Highland Presbyterian YouTube channel.