Phillip Neal Wright

A little after 1:30 in the afternoon of Saturday January 4th, Phillip Neal Wright got bored enough to leave this world behind and go check out the cool rocks that the afterlife has to offer. He died peacefully surrounded by family which was in stark contrast to the almost constant classic rock the former lead guitar player had playing at any time of the day or night.

Born and raised in Parkersburg West Virginia to Loyd and Edna Wright of Fleming, Phillip attended Parkersburg Grade schools and then Warren Middle and High Schools with his younger brother Roger Wright. In 10th grade he met his future wife, and only woman who could put up with him for any length of time, Robin (Taylor) Wright. Rather than a gentle romance, their love story started with Robin kicking Phillip’s books out from under his desk to prop her feet up and Phillip reaching around to pinch and flick her leg. After which Robin would shove Phillip and his desk forward in the aisle to get him in trouble with the teacher. The two dated through college and married in 1985.

Phillip had a love of all things nature and thought the earth cool, so much so that he attended Marietta college and obtained a bachelor’s degree in geology. His subsequent 30 year career at Dupont had nothing to do with rocks or geology, but it certainly afforded him a continuous scenic view of the Ohio river where the plant is located. He was the only employee on D shift who could explain exactly why the river was flowing the way it was and what the river bed was made of, neither of which had anything to do with his job either, but he liked to share knowledge and trivia at every opportunity.

Phillip and Robin welcomed their first son, Marlon, in 1988, and then their daughter, Alex, in 1992. The family of four took up residence on Second Street and lived in the same house for almost 39 years. While there, Phillip indulged his impulsiveness by not asking his wife for permission before coming home with all manner of critters and animals for the family to house and care for, including red tail boas, tarantulas, scorpions, lizards, and a small sled team of Siberian huskies.

For summer vacation, Phillip chose to travel to the beaches of Hatteras and Ocracoke Island. Despite being directionally sound, he consistently chose more and more scenic and complicated routes to the beach with his family in tow, opting to drive well out of his way to avoid major highways and any unnecessary left hand turns against oncoming traffic. Not all those who wonder are lost, which is true, but Phillip would sure take his sweet time getting there and refused to use his GPS so much that the app deleted itself off his phone. While on vacation, Phillip made everyone suffer by watching him wear the most brightly colored and obnoxiously patterned Hawaiian shirts known to man. He enjoyed the ostentatious clothing and the startled double takes of passersby so much that he began wearing the shirts as often as possible. He amassed a substantial collection because he did not like to wear the same ugly and vivid shirt more than once.

Phillip enjoyed several hobbies including reading and listening to classic rock. Despite reading almost every Stephen King horror novel written, he could never rid himself of that most sacred of fears, his wife’s disappointment. His love and talent in music was second only the sheer amount of music related trivia he had at his immediate disposal and listening to the radio with him became a part time game show of quick facts about the classic rock musicians. In true rock and roll fashion, and in spite of his wife’s ardent protests, Phillip grew his hair out after retirement and refused to cut it again.

The family will not be holding a funeral at this time. Originally, Phillip had a rather grand notion that his body should be set ablaze on a boat in the Ohio river like some Viking funeral, but the appropriate EPA permits could not be issued and no one had an extra boat to sink. The family instead asks that you order a Smitty’s Pizza and have a drink in his remembrance, which ultimately is what he would have wanted.

He is preceded in death by his mother, Edna Wright, who undoubtedly met him in the great beyond and then promptly showed him the garden she’s been growing there for the last several years. He is preceded in death also by a nephew Ryan. He is survived by his Father Loyd Wright, Brother Roger Wright (Julie), children Marlon (Ashley) and Alex (Riah), Grandchildren Everett and Brody, and his Wife, Robin, who should have earned some kind of award by now for putting up with his crap for so long, and several nieces and nephews. He will be fondly missed.