Priscilla Wright

Priscilla ("Percy") Price Wright
March 27, 1928 - January 22, 2024
After a lengthy and fulfilling life of faith, family, and
community service, long-time Prescott resident Percy Wright,
95, passed into the arms of our Lord, Jesus Christ and was
reunited with her husband of 62 years on January 22, 2024.
She is survived by her three children; David (wife Dedie),
Susan Lee (husband Doug), and Stuart (wife Erin), as well as eight grandchildren
and twelve great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Larry,
her two brothers, Jay Price Jr. and Rawson Price, and by her granddaughter
Madisen Wright.
Percy was born to Eunice and Jay Price Sr. on March 27, 1928 in Berkley,
California where her father worked as a civil engineer for the US Forest Service.
In 1939, the family was transferred to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Percy graduated
from Wauwatosa High School and then the University of Wisconsin with a degree
in Medical Technology. After graduation, she and two other "med techs" headed
west with no jobs and very little money. The three young ladies were all offered
positions at Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix which is where she met her future
husband and lifetime partner, Larry Wright. A former Navy Corpsman and
Prescott native, Larry was working as an orderly while attending Phoenix College
when the two met. They married on July 7, 1951 at Trinity Episcopal Church in
Wauwatosa. After the wedding, the two newlyweds moved to Tucson and lived in
a UofA Quonset hut for a year and a half while Larry completed his degree in
accounting.
Upon graduation, Larry accepted a position with the Accounting Department of
Arizona Public Service in Phoenix where the two of them lived until his retirement
35 years later. Along with raising their three children, Percy devoted herself to
community service. From 'home-room mother' to Phoenix Baptist Hospital
Auxiliary, from PTA to Mobil-Angel-Meal-Service director, from Little League
Treasurer to Summer Librarian, you could always count on Percy to get things
done.
By example, she instilled in her children a spirit of volunteerism. She also
emphasized the value of education. As little kids, she would read to us every
night. Just So Stories, by Rudyard Kipling was a favorite. As we got older, she
made certain our homework was done and done well. She also encouraged us to
play at least one musical instrument.
There was plenty of time for childhood fun as well. In addition to organized sports
(baseball and softball) and spending time at the neighbor's swimming pool, we
spent many summers camping in the White Mountains where Mom was equally
comfortable hiking and fishing and cooking over a Coleman stove, as she was
teaching us the proper format to use for a bibliography on a school report. We also
took epic family driving vacations. One year we drove from Phoenix all the way to
Alaska (and back)!
Our spiritual development was another important part of our upbringing. Percy
and Larry made certain their kids developed a relationship with God from baptism
to Sunday School to Confirmation. All Saints Episcopal Church in Phoenix was
our faith community.
After retirement from APS, Larry and Percy decided it was time to leave the heat
and traffic of the "Big City" and moved to Prescott in 1989. From their new home
base, traveling the world became a large part of their retirement. It didn't, however,
stop them from volunteering. Percy quickly became part of their new community
by volunteering at Prescott Community Cupboard Food Bank, the Adopt a
Highway program, People Who Care, the Prescott Public Library, and as ushers at
their church.
The move to Prescott also meant finding a new faith community. After moving to
Prescott, Percy stated "I never felt truly at home in any church" until she and Larry
joined St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Prescott.
Eventually "Mom" became "Grandma". She embraced this new identity with the
same dedication and selflessness that she applied to everything else she did. If
imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Percy/Mom/Grandma should feel very
flattered indeed. The example she set, by the manner in which she lived her life, is
the gold standard for her children and grandchildren. Virtue, integrity,
selflessness; she may be gone, but through the ripples from her life, her legacy
lives on. Please join us in celebrating a life well lived.
Donations in Percy's
name may be made to
St. Luke's Episcopal
Church of Prescott.