Gladys Lucille (Phillips) Wright |
| Posted 2008-04-28 by Judy Wight Branson |
| Daily Courier, Prescott, Arizona Sunday, April 20, 2008 Gladys Lucille Wright, 84, of Chino Valley, Ariz., went home to be with the Lord on April 17, 2008. She was born Oct. 31, 1923, in Council Hill, Okla., to Sam and Effie Phillips. Gladys came to Arizona when she was 6 years old. She was the oldest of four children – Gladys, Viola (Tootsie), Geneva Ruth and Samuel Leroy. Her youngest sister and brother both died between the ages of 12 and 14 months old of pneumonia. Her family drove from Oklahoma to Litchfield, Ariz., where her dad worked at a livestock feeding place. She and her sister, Tootsie, went to school in Avondale, Ariz., until first grade. At that time, her mom and dad bought a section of farmland five miles southwest of Eloy on Phillips Road. She then completed second through eighth grade at Toltec Elementary School in the old school building, which is now the Sunland Visitors Center, and then graduated from Casa Grande Union High School in 1942. After graduating from high school, Gladys went on to beauty school to get her license to make other people just as beautiful as she was. She married the love of her life, Charles Erwin Wright (Charlie), on Feb. 20, 1943. They were both 20 at the time. Charlie went into the Army and went overseas. Gladys continued working in her beauty shop. When Charles came home from the service, they began their farming career with a hog farm with her parents, Sam and Effie Phillips. Eventually Gladys and Charlie bought a farm for themselves, a section of land at the northeast corner of Green Reservoir Road and Toltec Buttes Road in Greene’s Reservoir, south of Eloy, and farmed a variety of crops – cotton, alfalfa, saff lower and wheat. Gladys was an environmentalist in those years living on the farm, even way before it had become popular. She constantly spoke out in the ’60s about the impact that insecticides being used in agriculture were having on agribusiness workers during that time. She was a follower of Rachel Carson (“Silent Spring”), an environmentalist author of the ’60s whose book exposed the negative impact of DDT at the time. Gladys also took a serious interest in the study of graphoanalysis, the study of handwriting. She became very proficient in analyzing handwriting and offering her advice to people about the human traits revealed in her handwriting analysis. She became respected among her friends for her astute analysis. Her children, Barb and Chuck, became leery of giving her anything in handwritten form for fear of being over-analyzed. During the ’60s, Gladys pursued her passion for art. She studied art with many in Casa Grande. Phyllis Wagoner of Casa Grande helped her perfect her skills in watercolor, oils and pastels. She produced many wonderful paintings, which included still lifes, displays of fruit and pictures of flowers. Many pieces of her artwork are with her friends. Gladys spent over 40 years of her life in the Casa Grande area. In the early ’70s, Gladys moved to Chino Valley, Ariz. She quickly began to make Chino Valley her home. Gladys was a charter member of the First Southern Baptist Church in Chino Valley since 1975. Her donation of her time and financial resources has helped the church grow to the size it is today. She enjoyed reading and studying the Bible and continuing to learn about Christ. Like her father, Gladys loved to work in her yard, especially in her rose garden. She would always have vases of roses throughout her house, and would have an extra one to give you to take home. She was an avid bridge player and was always looking for a chance to play with a group. Another favorite pastime was creating sewing projects, not only for herself, but for her home. She is survived by her daughter, Barbara White (Bill) of Prescott; son Chuck Wright (Connie) of Casa Grande; and daughter-in-law Diane Wright of Arizona City. She has five grandchildren, Bryan White (Karen) of Chino Valley, Alyssa White of Prescott, Jeff Wright (Maria) of Lawton, Okla., Steven Wright of Tucson, and Kevin Wright of Arizona City. She also has three great-grandchildren, Logan White, Daniel Locke and Daniel Wright. Gladys is preceded in death by her husband, Charlie; mother and dad, Effie and Sam Phillips; two sisters, Tootsie and Geneva Ruth; and a brother, Samuel Leroy. There will be a memorial service for Gladys at 11 a.m. Monday, April 21, 2008, at The First Southern Baptist Church in Chino Valley, Ariz. Chino Valley Funeral Home assisted the family with the arrangements. Information provided by survivors. |
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