Ms Cherese Wright's Obituary
Cherese Wright was born November 22, 1954, to Fred and Grace Griffin in Greenwood, MS. The Griffin family moved to Chicago, IL in September of 1955.
In 1976, Cherese professed her faith in Jesus Christ, her Lord and Savior. She was baptized in His name and was blessed with the gift of the Holy Spirit. Cherese was a long-time member of Christian Temple Worship Center in Irving, TX, where John Owens II is Pastor.
Cherese was educated in the Chicago Public Schools. Having a desire to become a schoolteacher, she enrolled in Chicago State University in the fall of 1972 and completed her undergraduate studies in 1975, obtaining a degree in Early Childhood Education with an emphasis in Special Education. Cherese later felt the need to continue her education and obtained a master’s degree in Education from Texas A&M University - Commerce in 1992.
Cherese and Winfred were introduced by Josephine Walls (Cherese’s cousin) and Mack James (Winfred’s cousin) in January of 1976. They were married a year later and moved to Los Angeles, CA, where they welcomed their first and only child, Delon. They lived in Los Angeles for about eighteen months before moving back to Chicago, IL and moved to Plano, TX in 1984, where they have resided since.
Cherese started her career in the Chicago Public School System, teaching for a year before moving to Los Angeles. Cherese taught in Los Angeles for a short period before moving back to Chicago. Upon moving to Texas, Cherese started teaching in the fall of 1984. Cherese was a Special Education teacher in the Dallas Independent School System, Richardson Independent School System and Garland Independent School System. Cherese loved teaching and maintaining control of the classroom. After teaching for over thirty years, Cherese retired in 2017.
Cherese loved to travel, and cruises were her favorite. Two of her favorite cruises were the Inside Passage of Alaska and through the Panama Canal from Fort Lauderdale, FL. She also liked driving cross-county. She wanted to set foot in all fifty states, and she did. To fulfill one of her wishes, she was able to tour the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture this past December. She also loved to bargain shop, which was done mostly to give gifts. Many years she had her Christmas shopping completed before summer. She enjoyed Hallmark movies, and she did not like watching sports.
Cherese departed this life on Wednesday, March 30, 2022. She was preceded in death by her parents, Fred and Grace Griffin. Her life will be cherished by Winfred Wright, her devoted husband of forty-five years; Delon Wright, her loving son and only child; Xotchil Wright, her caring daughter-in-law; mother-in-law, Brunette Wright (Canton, MS); one uncle, Eric Granderson (Broadview, IL); two aunts, Dorothy Wright (Chicago, IL) and Shirley Griffin (Los Angeles, CA); sister-in-law, Jeral (Calvin) Johnson (Memphis, TN); brothers-in-law, Jeffery Wright (Pearl, MS) and Tyrone (Annie) Wright (Madison, MS); and a host of nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, cousins, friends and neighbors. She will also be greatly missed by her long-time (working, shopping and lunch) cohorts, to name a few: Archietta James, Dottie Miles, Laquita Johnson, Michelle McCray, Alesia Morton, Barbara Loggins, Talisha Freeman and Alice King.
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