Ray Edwin Wright

Ray Wright, long time resident of Hemet, passed away April 2, 2026 at the age of 95. Ray was predeceased by his wife, Freida Wright, his parents, Ina and Harry Wright. Brothers, Paul Wright, George Wright and sister, Emma Finley.

Ray was born in Bedford, Indiana on January 30, 1931. After graduating from Bedford High School in 1950. He was drafted to serve in the US Army during the Korean War. After the war, he returned to Bedford and that’s where he met his future wife, Freida, as they both worked for Bell & Howell. They were married July 2, 1955 and soon relocated to Chicago, Illinois. In 1961, they packed up their two small children and moved to Hemet, CA.

By trade, Ray was an auto mechanic until he became a supervisor with General Telephone, where he retired.

His love and interest in auto racing started at a very early age. He raced stock cars while living in Indiana. After moving to California, he became involved in off-road racing. Many trips to the Baja 500 with various races in Mexico. He participated in several of the Barstow & Lucerne races in California’s high desert.

Ray is survived by three children. Debbie (Dan) Sands, Doug Wright and Scott Wright. Four grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.

A viewing will be held at 10:00am Monday, April 27th at Zeyer Funeral Chapel in Nampa, ID. Graveside service will be held at 2:30pm on Tuesday, April 28th at Canyon Hill Cemetery in Caldwell, ID.