C. Dean Wright

Dean was born in Sweet Springs, MO on September 1, 1926 to George Roy and Mattie Wright. He was the youngest of 4 children.

Dean joined the Navy at the age of 18 and served his country from 1944 to 1946. He then attended college at Central Methodist University in Fayette, MO and graduated in 1949 with a Bachelor's degree in Music.

He married Mary Hall on April 14, 1947 and together they had four children. He taught music in King City and Gallatin, Missouri. He then worked for Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in Leavenworth, KS. From there, the family moved to Denver, CO where he worked for the Federal Department of Corrections. In 1961, the family moved to Albuquerque, NM where he worked for the Federal Department of Investigations. He was soon promoted and became a Federal Appeals Court Judge for the Federal Employees Appeals Authority. He was promoted in July of 1972, and he and Mary moved to the Washington, DC area. In May of 1976, he and Mary moved to Seattle, WA where Dean took the reigns as Chief of a five state region for the Federal Employees Appeals Authority. Dean retired from the federal government in 1989 and started his own construction company. In May of 1993, Dean and Mary moved to Albuquerque, NM to be closer to family and to enjoy some sunshine and golf. They made Albuquerque their home from 1993 until October of 2016 when they moved to Castle Rock, CO to be closer to family. Mary and Dean moved into Valley House Assisted Living in Castle Rock in April of 2017.

Dean loved golf, music and most of all being close to his family. Dean was preceded in death by his father and mother, George Roy and Mattie Wright; two sisters, Nadine Wright and Wini Lynch. Dean is survived by Mary, his loving wife of 70 years, son John D. Wright and his wife, Carol, of Castle Rock; daughter Debbie Eggleston and her husband, Mike, of Albuquerque, NM; daughter Teri McCallon and her husband, Chuck, of Castle Rock; and daughter Gayle Mangis and her husband, Scott, of Dalton Gardens, ID; nine grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild, a sister, Ailene Ballenger of Windsor, MO, and numerous nieces, nephews and other "adopted" family members. Dean and Mary also consider their friends at Los Altos Christian Church in Albuquerque as family.

Private family services will be held in Castle Rock, CO on August 17, 2017. Internment will be at Ft. Logan National Cemetery on what would have been his 91st birthday, September 1, 2017. Memorial contributions can be made to the American Diabetes Association in Dean's honor.