Diane Sue Wright, aged 74, died after a 3 ½ year battle with breast cancer, on June 7, 2022 at the Villages, FL.
Diane is survived by her husband, Tom; her daughter, Jennifer Payne, her husband, Bill, and their daughters, Lauren and Ashley of Edmonds, Washington; her son Christopher Wright, his wife, Kimberly, and their children, Tristan and Taylor of Newport Beach, California; and her brother Larry Taylor and his wife, Jan, of Clarion, Iowa.
Diane was born in Clarion, Iowa and brought up on the family farm, learning at an early age to drive a tractor, care for the animals and help with the crops. When she was very young, her family discovered she had been gifted with a beautiful singing voice and she began performing for groups by six years of age. Her voice led her to Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Voice Performance. It was there she met her husband, Tom.
Upon her marriage, she moved with Tom to the Washington, DC area, where Tom was beginning his second year of dental school. Their daughter, Jennifer was born during his senior year. Upon graduation, Tom was commissioned into the Navy, where, during his 28 years of service, they moved to a variety of duty stations, both in the U.S. and overseas, including Bermuda where Chris was born.
During Tom’s career, Diane took a job with Navy Federal Credit Union, and she was able to continue with them until her retirement after 23 years, as the manager of the branch onboard the Naval Station, Mayport, FL. During that time she embarked on a path to achieve her masters via night school, receiving her MBA from the University of North Florida.
Diane pursued her passion for music by directing a myriad of choirs and choral groups, and singing in local and semi-professional theater groups. When they moved to the Villages, they joined Community United Methodist Church, in Fruitland Park, where she eventually became the Minister of Traditional Worship, a position she held until just before her passing. She leaves behind a loving family and scores of friends whose lives she touched.
Her viewing will be held at the Baldwin Brothers facility, at 3990 E. SR 44, Wildwood, FL on June 14, 2022 from 5-7 pm. Her burial will be the following day at Bushnell National Cemetery at 10:15 am on June 15, 2022, with a memorial service to follow, that will be held at Community United Methodist Church, in Fruitland Park, FL at 1 pm; a reception will follow.
Her family would like to thank her church, family and friends for their love, support and devotion during her illness. They would also like to share their appreciation to the wonderful professionals at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, as well as the caring folks at Hospice who helped her so much in her last days.
