William Wright

William Harold Wright was born on June 14, 1951 in Washington DC to the late William D and Alma Jean Wright. He and his two brothers, Bobby and the late Harvey Wright, were all raised on Bentley Drive in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, PA.

He was a husband, father, teacher and a friend, and was known to many as "Big Willie Style". To his family as "Big Poppa" and finally "Poppy". He was truly a deliberate, decisive and driven man. As a young man, he saw the beautiful Linda Denise Washington in the halls of Fifth Avenue High School. He knew then he had met his lifelong partner and soulmate. He married Linda on August 8, 1970 and shared nearly 50 years of wedding bliss.

As a father, he had 2 children - Tameika and Melvin, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. He additionally served as a "Dad" to countless other youth, always willing to share his wisdom and competitive spirit. Many can attest to the numerous game nights where "Poppy" would not give you an inch and be happy to take the Pokeno pot no matter whose coins were in the game!

As a teacher, Will shared his prowess having achieved the highest SAT Score in the city of Pittsburgh in 1969. He would later enlist in the United States Air Force and later serve as a Drug and Alcohol Counselor. He knew Information Technology was the wave of the future in business and returned back to school to earn a dual Bachelor's Degree in Accounting and Information Technology from Point Park College. He later honed his skills while working at numerous banks including Landmark Savings and Loan, Equibank, Integra and National City. He then became an IT Officer at the Federal Home Loan Bank and finished his IT career at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency as a Senior IT Examiner. During his professional career and life, he taught and mentored many of his subordinates and peers, most of which will attest to the positive influence he had on their careers.

As a friend, he loved as hard as he spoke, providing countless advice and support to all who would seek it. This impact was immeasurable as the decades of experience, mistakes, forgiveness and love would be felt throughout his lifetime. If you knew him even for a moment in time his genuine personality was contagious. If you had asked him was his life fulfilling, he most likely would answer definitively, "not sure yet, it's not over".

It was little known to many that he battled with Cancer since 2004. Sadly, he succumbed to this disease but not before iterating the words very clear to family "I am not afraid" which showed his perseverance. He was called home on Tuesday morning, July 16, 2019 with his devoted, loving family by his side.

He is survived by his wife Linda, Mother-in-law Mary, Brother Bobby, children Melvin and wife Carol, Tameika, grandchildren Alex, Makenzie, Bryanne, Noah, Christopher, Quinton, great-grandchildren - Kennedy, Mai and Selina and a host of family and lifelong friends. He will be missed but NEVER forgotten.