Richard "Rick" C. Wright

He was born on July 4, 1961 in Bloomington, son of Clifford and Michelle "Mickey" Frear Wright. He married Brenda L. Tornow, the love of his life.

Surviving are his wife, Brenda; four sons, Matthew (Brandi) Wright of Bloomington, Luke Wright of Lincoln, Timothy Wright of Bloomington and Levi Wright of Clinton; four grandchildren, Layne & Blake Wright of Florida and Hailey & Hannah Wright of Bloomington. Also surviving are one brother, Randy Wright; one sister, Wendi Wright; several nieces and nephews and a very special friend, Brian Eckmann, who was like a brother.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Rick graduated early from Bloomington High School in December of 1978 with a 3.68 GPA. He received a letter from the SAT testing board telling him that he scored in the top 2% of Illinois and that he could go to college anywhere he wanted to.

Rick took building trades and every shop class available in high school. He worked several odd jobs before joining the Central Illinois Carpenters Union Local #63 in 1983. He was elected to the executive board of Carpenters Local 63 twice by the largest majority of votes. Rick worked almost 8,000 hours on State Farm Corporate South and almost 10 years on bridges in central Illinois. He also helped build several fast food restaurants and gas stations in the area, as well as Clinton Power Plant. Rick retired in 2016 from Local #237 having worked 33 years with the Carpenter's Union.

Rick loved hunting, fishing, watching NASCAR and was a huge fan of the Kansas City Chiefs football and St. Louis Cardinals baseball.

Rick was a loving husband, father and grandfather. He tried his best to help anyone that needed help, whether it was his skills and labor, his wisdom on life or his help with providing financial guidance. If you asked him for help, he would be there. Rick always wanted everyone to live a very successful life!

His funeral will be held at 2:00 pm on Sunday, October 4, 2026 at East Lawn Funeral Home, Bloomington, with Rev. Jason Collins officiating. A visitation will begin at 12:30 pm until the time of service. Cremation rites will be accorded after the service. Inurnment will be at East Lawn Memorial Gardens, Bloomington at a later date.

To share condolences with the family and view his online tribute, please visit EastLawnMemorial.com