Charles Leonard "Pete" Wright

Charles "Pete" Leonard Wright age 89 of Trumansburg (Searsburg), NY peacefully passed away at home on June 2, 2022 surrounded by his loving family.  He is now reunited with his loving wife of 65 years, Sally (Sarah Louise Smith Wright), who passed away in 2019.

Pete was born on October 13, 1932 in Brooktondale, NY.  He was the son of Almon and Edna (Coon) Wright.  He grew up in a farming family who eventually owned a farm on Stillwell Road in Trumansburg, NY. 

It was in homeroom at Trumansburg high school where Pete met the love of his life, "The Beautiful" Sally Smith.  They married during Sally's senior year and their life together began as he embarked on his 38 years of Naval assignments in various places.  Immediately following Sally's graduation in 1953, they moved to Philadelphia near the shipyard, then at a later date off to Boston with the ship where their first child (Charlotte Lee) was born. They eventually settled back at home in Searsburg in 1955, first living in the old house on Stillwell Road that stood in front of Pete’s parents' house.  In 1958 they bought the house on the corner of Searsburg and Jay Cook (Burr) Road, worked hard to turn it into a livable home with indoor plumbing, and they created a happy home and made raising their 6 children the most important thing in their lives.  After returning home, Pete worked first at Morse Chain then in the mid 60's he began his lengthy career as an experimental machinist for various engineering and chemistry professors and PhD candidates at Cornell University.  For a period of time, both Pete and Sally worked at Searsburg Eggland, but then retired from Cornell together in 1991.

In their younger years, they had a lot of Friday night fun bowling in a couples league at Tri-County Lanes where they made a lot of friends.  They also spent many cold winter nights snowmobiling miles of trails and hitting “cocoa stops” with neighbors and other couples along the trails. They enjoyed the camaraderie of summer night picnic table meals with neighbors, card playing, pool shooting, target shooting and horseshoe throwing, as well as making the neighbor kids and nieces and nephews a routine part of their household.

For many years, Pete and Sally took their 6 children “tent” camping and “houseboating” in the summers. In later years they cleared farm land (we should say… “their children picked never-ending rocks!”) and built their dream home, a log house they hand built further down Burr Road … they logged the wood right out of their woods, they milled the trees into boards, and they built their home from the ground up.

They retired together from Cornell University on the very same day as one another, April 1, 1991 with the anticipation of beginning their retired life together.  On the very next day, they embarked on a life-long dream… a cross country Alaska road trip.  They drove first through the southern states stopping to visit family and old Navy buddies and their wives and then onto their ultimate destination, Alaska, where they made many memories together to excitedly later share with their children.  They travelled all throughout Alaska then drove home through the upper mid-west.

After their lengthy cross-country trip, they came back home to their family, gardens and machine shop where Pete worked hard to keep machinery working for the area farmers and road crews and Sally fed them lunch and coffee on their visits to the shop.  His quick turn-around time and efficient fabricating skills in the machine shop were critical to keeping farmers' equipment running while working in the fields daily.  Cutting wood and driving his tractors (Allis Chalmers orange really must be mentioned here) were a daily part of Pete's life.

Riding their Harley-Davidson was also a source of lively fun for Pete and Sally in their retirement.  Tapping maple trees and making maple syrup and vegetable gardening to feed their family were hobbies that Pete and Sally spent a lot of outdoor time enjoying together and including their children and grandchildren on.  Eventually, their focus settled solely on their home, their children, and their grandchildren….their life together.  Pete was a passionate and life-long hunter and fisherman.  Hunting was a family sport for Pete and his sons and grandchildren.  He and his brothers started the "Adirondack Hunters," and for over 45 years, he guided camp with many relatives and friends who became very "deer" to his heart.  He was proud of the fact that his hunting club was known in the Star Lake area, especially for the naming of "Sam's Curve," named after Pete's youngest son, Sam, who got a little wet on that curve in the Oswegatchie River.  It is still named as such on official maps. 

Pete and Sally's greatest source of pride were their children and grandchildren.  Their home and daily lives were geared toward time together with their family.  Pete's siblings were a special part of who he was, and he loved when he could spend time with them.

Pete and Sally always had a reputation for being gracious, generous, loving friends and neighbors to everyone who knew them.  They ranked with the best parents, grandparents and aunts and uncles in God’s creation.

Pete has loved and has been loved by many family members…some deceased and many still here today.

Pete is survived by children, Charlotte (Bob) Wright Mosher, Wayne (Robin) Wright, Wade “Sam" (Jacqueline) Wright, Sally (Jack) Tillinghast, Debora Wright, and Donna Wright Mosher; grandchildren, Scott (Kelly) Jones, Mark (Katie) Jones, Jennifer (Dan Traina) Mosher, Joli Wright Zifchock, Michelle Wright, Morgan (Lilly) Wright, Jered Wright, Jane Wright, James (Amber) Powers, Charlie Van Ness, Todd Tillinghast, and Joli (Jeff) Chamberlain; great grandchildren, Kalea (Brandon) Jones Swartz, Madelyn Jones, Sarah Jones, Emma Jones, Owen Jones, Gavin Jones, Samantha Zifchock, Michael Zifchock, Brody Zifchock, Alexandra Traina, Eleanora Traina, Roland Traina, Jensen Powers, Madden Powers, Emilia Powers, Amira Hill, Anisa Hill, Layla Wright, Emily (Arch) Wilson, and Douglas Chamberlain; siblings, Richard "Dick" (Verna) Wright, Marian "Judy" (Earl) Wright Isaacs, Bruce (Linda) Wright, Steve (Susan) Wright, Robert "Bob" (Carol) Wright, and Tom (Bev) Fox; and numerous Wright and Smith nieces and nephews that "Uncle Pete & Aunt Sally" loved dearly. Sally and Pete always loved their nieces and nephews as though they were their own children, and their grandchildren lived right in their hearts. In addition to his parents, Pete was preceded in death by his wife, Sally in 2019; a brother, Edwin A. Wright; and a sister, Alma Wright Compton.

Pete was a life-long Baptist, he believed in heaven, and he has been looking forward to reuniting with his beautiful wife and loved ones who passed on before him.

His life was well lived, he was patient, loving and was an incredible father.  His brothers and sisters, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and friends will miss him desperately and will be at a loss without him. “Our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren make our world go around.” - Pete & Sally

The family will be present to receive friends from 2:00 to 4:00pm on Friday, June 10, 2022 at Calvary Baptist Church, 5 Bradley Street, Trumansburg. A Funeral Service with Military Honors will immediately follow at 4:00pm at the church. A reception will follow at American Legion Post 770 in Trumansburg.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Trumansburg Volunteer Fire Company, PO Box 418, Trumansburg, NY 14886.

Dad - It will be such a beautiful blessing to be with you again in Heaven one day.

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