Wright was teaching at The Miami Valley School when friends introduced her to “Wick” on New Year’s Eve 1973. It was the beginning of a 25-year marriage and a love story that endured until Wick’s death in 1999. Wright was undaunted by her husband’s famous family.
“How lucky am I? I married the most wonderful man in the world, and he came with this wonderful family history,” she said in a 2003 Dayton Daily News interview.
Wright was a passionate volunteer during her 60 years in Dayton. She was a docent at the Dayton Art Institute, a Girl Scout leader and she held board positions at The Wright State University Library, The Dayton Literary Club and The Aviation Hall of Fame.
“She was a flower that always gave such a sweet aroma to those around her,” Rhine McLin, former Dayton mayor and a member of the Montgomery County Board of Elections said
Wright was born January 2, 1928, the only child of Beatrice Louise Green and George Cameron Davis in Durham, N.C. She graduated from Duke University in 1949.
Wright is survived by daughters Martha Sullivan, Barbara Cutillo (Daniel), Anne Pierce (Max), step-children Amanda Wright Lane (Donald) and Stephen Wright (Debra), and 10 grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at the Wright family home, Hawthorn Hill, in Oakwood at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 25. This is the first memorial service at Hawthorn Hill since Orville Wright passed in 1948.
After Wick died, Marion became an ambassador for the family, but she was always trying to shift the spotlight onto his children.
“By having the service at Hawthorn Hill, we’re saying ‘she is a Wright.’ She has earned those stripes,” Lane said.
The memorial service will be preceded by a private interment at Woodland Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be sent to The Wright Family Foundation, c/o The Dayton Foundation, 500 Kettering Tower, Dayton, OH 45423, or to Carillon Historical Park, 2001 Patterson Blvd., Dayton, Ohio 45409.
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