Jeanette Kovar Wright

Jeanette Marie Kovar Wright – Jan – beloved wife, mother, sister, daughter, and friend – entered Eternal Rest on January 17, 2015. She was born in Detroit, MI on September 12, 1948 and is survived by her husband of 43 years, Steve; children Alec (wife Han), Cathy (husband Marc Flores), and Brad (wife Kristyna); grandchildren Isabelle, Madeleine, Brayden, Makayla, Annabelle, and one granddaughter due in June; and brothers Robert, Edward, and David. She was preceded in death by her parents Edward and Josephine of Dearborn, MI.

As the only girl and eldest, she looked after her younger brothers from an early age and earned her first car from babysitting and her paper route. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 1969 with a degree in computer science. After graduation, she began her career in a field sparsely populated with women: as a systems analyst at IBM. She later provided consulting services to local banks.

Her most vibrant and fulfilling life’s work was that of a wife, mother, grandmother, and adventuress. She met the love of her life, Stephen Robert Wright, during their undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan – her very own “Mr. (W)Right.” A pilot and flight instructor, Steve took Jan flying on their second date, and the adventures only soared from that point in the private planes they owned together over the years.

Jan and Steve married in Ann Arbor on July 24, 1971 and moved to Midland, MI shortly thereafter. They began a family there: first son Alexander Robert was born in 1976 and daughter Catherine Karen in 1979. They then blazed a path to the Lone Star State in 1980, landing in Lake Jackson first and settling in Houston in 1984. In Texas, they expanded their family: son Bradley Edward was born in 1982.

The Wrights spent their family-building years traveling extensively while diving joyfully into life at home together – activities, traditions, and celebrations aplenty. Beginning in 1994, Jan began to battle myeloproliferative diseases (MPNs), cancers which erode the bone marrow. In 2001, after a series of close calls and an anxious wait, Jan was blessed by the gracious gift of a liver transplant, permitting a life-saving extension which she seized with love and determination. She endured medical appointments and frequent hospital stays with grace and optimism, an inspiration to anyone weathering a challenge. In 2013 her disease became aggressive, but Jan battled courageously and successfully until just recently.

Jan was talented in sewing and crafts, known for her baked goods, a fan of Bunco, an active investor, and enjoyed puzzles and crosswords. She adored her role as Grammy to her loving grandchildren and cherished the closeness she shared with her adult children, her longtime friends, and her soul mate, Steve. She accomplished her goal to visit all seven continents – she and Steve met penguins in Antarctica and for their 40th wedding anniversary, they shared an unforgettable around-the-world trip. She loved and helped those around her – especially her family – in all that they did. We will miss her charm, good nature and quick wit in the future, but are privileged to have had her in our lives for as long as we did – her memory will be with us forever.

A visitation for Jeanette will be Friday, January 23, 2015 at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home from 6-8 pm. A service celebrating her life will be Saturday January 24, 2015 in the chapel of Memorial Oaks Funeral Home at 10:00 am. Concluding the chapel service Jeanette will be laid to rest at Memorial Oaks Cemetery

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to MD Anderson Cancer Center – in memory of Jan Wright to support myeloproliferative disease research by Dr. Srdan Verstovsek, P.O. Box 4486, Houston, TX 77210-4486 or www.mdanderson.org/gifts The family would like to thank Dr. Verstovsek, Lindsey Lyle, and the numerous kind and skillful staff at MD Anderson for helping to extend Jan’s life as much as possible.