Shirley Howes Wright

Shirley Howes Wright passed away at the age of 86. Beloved daughter of the late John Howes and late Nola Hudson Howes. Dear sister of the late Harrison Howes. Wife of the late James Traylor Wright. She is survived by her three daughters Carol Wright (Brandon), Elizabeth Wright (Roewe) and Priscilla Wright and two grandchildren Christopher Roewe and Nicholas Roewe. Shirley was born in 1927 in Washington DC. She grew up in Washington DC attending Woodrow Wilson High School and then Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania where she graduated with a BA in English in 1949. She earned her teaching credentials from Wayne State University in the 1960s and served as both a substitute teacher in the Grosse Pointe School District and in the 1990s at Ferry Elementary School as a volunteer teaching assistant. Shirley loved helping children learn to read and supported the teachers at Ferry by acting as a one-to-one tutor for the students. A longtime member of St. Michaels Episcopal Church, Shirley enjoyed assisting with The Little Thrift Shop, at one point volunteering in late 1980s to spearhead the operation. Shirley moved to the Grosse Pointe area in 1959 residing in Grosse Pointe Shores. She had a great commitment to giving back to the community along with her husband, Jim Wright, who served as village clerk in 1980s and then was appointed to the Grosse Pointe Shores Village Council in 1994. In 1977, Shirley and Jim took up private pilot lessons and eventually purchased their own single-engine Cessna 182 which they enjoyed flying. Shirley became a member of the International Women's Pilot Club, also known as the 99s. The club was known as the 99s because 99 women in 1929 founded the Club and their first president was Amelia Earhart. In 1968, Shirley began organizing and researching her family tree. She could directly trace her lineage back to Thomas Howes who landed in Boston in 1637 on one of the Massachusetts Bay Company ships that helped settle New England. In 1984, Shirley and her husband Jim participated in the Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games. Jim was Course Manager for Rowing and Canoeing and Shirley worked as a Hospitality Volunteer. Shirley passed away at Shorepointe Nursing Center after a long illness, on Monday, July 7th. A Memorial Service is scheduled for Saturday, August 9th at 10am at St. Michael Episcopal Church, 20475 Sunningdale Park, Grosse Pointe Woods. Memorial contributions to St. Michaels Episcopal Church or charity of the donor's choice. Arrangements handled by A.H. Peters Funeral Home.

Funeral Home:

A. H. Peters Funeral Home of Grosse Pointe

20705 Mack Avenue

Grosse Pointe Woods, MI

US 48236