Geraldine Katherine Wright

Geraldine Katherine Wright (née Kolozvary), aged 83, passed away peacefully on June 30, 2025 in Riverside, California. She was born on October 30, 1941 in Rochester, New York, to Emil and Katherine Kolozvary. She spent her youth in Rochester where she graduated from Nazareth Academy in 1959. She married Larry Wright in Webster, New York on April 20, 1968, and they moved to Riverside two years later when Larry took up a teaching position at UC Riverside. After high school she trained as an Electrocardiogram technician at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, a specialty she pursued there and at Riverside General Hospital until her daughter Emily was born in 1977. After that, her life was primarily and joyfully devoted to raising children. First and foremost was her daughter Emily to whom she devoted her life until she left for college and who remained the light of her life to its end. The empty nest was then filled by Jaclyn and Adam Adaskaveg, who Gerry nannied from birth until they too left for college, but who she continued to regard as an intimate part of her extended family.

During the early years of their marriage, Gerry, as she preferred to be called, was often the sole member of her husband's pit crew as he raced formula cars across the country from Connecticut to California. She not only managed the timing and scoring, but also became competent to take on many of the tasks required to maintain a racing car on a budget. From lapping in valves to tarting up the bodywork, she made herself indispensable to the program. Even before she was licensed to drive on the street, she'd become adept at towing the racing car through the paddock to start a reluctant engine, honking the horn to warn unwary pedestrians.

All this too came to an end with the arrival of Emily, although cross-country excursions did not. Every other year for a while Gerry would see to it that the car was packed with all the requirements for a month-long trip to the East Coast and back. The family would then hop in and set off to see the sights confident that every eventuality had been anticipated. The trips were ostensibly to visit relatives in Ohio, upstate New York, and Pennsylvania, but the main motivation was simply to experience all the fantastic vistas along the way.

In all these ways and more, Gerry touched countless lives with her warmth, love, and generous spirit. She was predeceased by her older sister Patricia and a younger brother Michael. She is survived by her husband, Larry; her daughter Emily; two younger brothers, Jon Kolozvary (Karen) and Stephen Kolozvary (Barbara); a younger sister Margaret Hirsch; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. A memorial service will be held Wednesday, July 30, 2025 from 6:00 PM TO 7:00 PM at Acheson & Graham Garden of Prayer Mortuary, 7944 Magnolia Avenue, Riverside, CA 92504.