Richard Wright

Richard was born on January 21, 1954 on a Thursday at 5:45 in Denver, Colorado to Edward Clay Wright, Sr. and Frances Wright. He was the fourth child of seven to this union, two girls and five boys. During the summer between third and fourth grade, Richard read the entire Bible and began his life’s journey as a Christian. He was baptized at New Hope Baptist Church by Reverend M.C. Williams. Richard was a member of the youth choir, and participated in other youth activities, such as Youth Day, Baptist Training Union (BTU), and during the summer breaks he attended Black Forest Youth Camp, located in Black Forest Colorado. Richard began playing the violin and excelled at it; he was selected as fourth chair violinist in the Denver Children's Orchestra two years in a row. In the 7th grade at Cole Jr. High, he joined the FBLA (Future Business Leaders in America), where he wrote a paper about the future of computers. He was amazed at how Star Trek used computers to store information and quickly retrieve it to solve problems. He excelled at sports, he and his brothers played football, softball, and spent countless hours playing basketball on the black tops of Whittier Elementary, also at the local recreational centers Glenarm, 20th street and Red shield Salvation Army.

Richard was educated in Denver and attended Manual High School, graduating in 1972. After graduation, he attended Trinidad State Junior College where he received the Who’s Who award for the region and graduated with a Electronic Technology Associate Degree and a Computer Technology Associate Degree. Richard continued his studies at National American University, where he attained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Information Science and began his career as a Computer Programmer/Analyst/Engineer. He worked for some of the top companies in Denver, CO.

In 1976, Richard met Melvina Bonner, married in 1983, and from this marriage, they had two daughters, Daniyell Thompson and Patrice Wright. He later relocated to Austin, TX, where he met and then married Debra Mackey in 1996. They were married for 29 years until his passing. While in Austin, he joined Kingdom of God Christian Center (KGCC) under the direction of Pastor Fred Moore. He loved his church and his church family. He held seminars to help people save money for their future. In his spare time, Richard loved to go walking, watch sports, talk politics and enjoyed writing computer programs for any and everyone.

Richard departed this life on October 4, 2025. He is preceded in death by his parents, Edward Clay Wright, Sr., and Frances Wright; two brothers, Edward Clay Wright, Jr., and Ernest Wright; and one sister, Jeraldine Reedy.

Richard is survived by his wife, Debra; his children and their families, Daniyell (Mitchell) Thompson and Patrice Wright, step-daughters Sujuane (Brandon) Smith, Vallie King, and Christine (Urbain) Glapion. His siblings left to cherish his memory are Charlotte (Robert) Butler, Melvyn (Andrea), and Glenn Wright. He also has several loving grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and a host of other relatives and friends whose lives he touched

A visitation will be held at Cook-Walden Funeral Home, located at 6100 North Lamar, Austin, TX 78752, on October 14, 2025, from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm.