James O. Wright

September 16, 1925 - October 25, 2017

Jim Wright was born and raised on a farm at Tisdale, Saskatchewan the only son of Alice Wright and P.E. Wright, Member of Parliament for the Tisdale-Melfort Constituency from 1940 - 1952.

Jim attended the NewMarket country school north of Tisdale and at Luther College in Regina, then took a Canadian Army University course in Engineering in 1943.

During World War 2 Jim served with the Regina Rifles Regiment and was wounded in Holland in April 1945.

He met and married Marjorie (Betty) Wilmer in England in 1945. Jim returned to Canada and Betty followed in 1946. Jim attended the School of Agriculture at the University of Saskatchewan 1946 - 48. They farmed at Tisdale until 1957. Jim served as a Saskatchewan Wheat Pool delegate from 1948 to 1957. He then joined the Pool's extension division as a fieldman at Moosomin, Saskatchewan. In 1962 he moved to head office in Regina. He was named general superintendent of country organization in 1962, assistant secretary in 1964, and in 1967 appointed corporate secretary of the Pool and inter-provincial pools until retirement in 1986.

Jim was a member of the Regina Rotary Club, the Royal Canadian Legion and the United Church. On top of his regional activities, Jim also served on the boards of the C.D. Howe Institute, Western Transportation Advisory Council, Great Lakes Waterway Development Association, Metric Commission Canada and chaired the Agricultural Co-operativve Committee of the International Federation of Agricultural producers. He served as a trustee of the Canadian Hunger Foundation, a non-government body administrating self help agricultural products in developing countries.

On an international level Jim made his presence felt on numerous occasions. He represented the Wheat Pool on a tour of India in 1966 to observe food problems and agricultural conditions. He had been one of Canada's delegates to conferences in the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP) in Tunisia, Japan, France, United States and Finland. He served as Chairman of the IFAP's standing committee on Agricultural Co-operatives and as a member of the Grains Committee. In 1972 he was a Canadian delegate to a World Co-operative Alliance, the Food & Agricultural Organization of the United Nations in Rome, Italy.

In 1987 Jim was awarded the Saskatchewan Co-op Order of Merit and the University Of Saskatchewan Distinguished Graduate award.

After retiring in 1986 Jim and Betty traveled in Australia for six months before moving to Arbutus Ridge on Vancouver Island. While at Arbutus Ridge, Jim served for three years as Chairman of the Strata Council. They lived there for many years enjoying golf, curling and an active social life before moving to Sidney and Victoria, B.C.

Jim was a greatly loved husband of Betty, a much loved father of Barbara (Bob), Marjorie (Hamish),

Deborah (Stuart), Christine (Mark) and Jim (Laurie), an admired grandfather of 14 and great-grandfather of 18. Jim and Betty would have celebrated their 72nd anniversary on November 24.

Arrangements under the direction of First Memorial Funeral Services, Duncan, BC.