Irene DuGan Wright's Obituary
Irene DuGan Wright, age 93, was born to Earl John Dugan and Loretta Haines on July 19, 1924, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She passed away on November 7, 2017, in Farmers Branch, Texas. Irene is survived by her loving family and devoted friends and will be missed by all who knew her. She was the child of hearing impaired parents and had a deep love for the deaf. She learned sign language as an adult and provided interpretation for the deaf at her church. Irene spent most of her younger years in Philadelphia. The family moved to Springfield, MA, where she graduated from high school. She was married for 52 years to Robert Joseph Wright, who preceded her in death in 2003. They moved to Dallas in 1954 and she quickly embraced the great State of Texas as her home. However, Ocean City, New Jersey, was her “happy place” and was consistently her desired vacation destination.Irene began her work life in 1968, managing the Plaza Health Food Store in Snider Plaza. She then worked as an administrative assistant for various companies, retiring from the Gates Rubber Company in 1999. Irene loved politics and was active in the Republican Party her entire adult life. She campaigned for many candidates, served as an alternate delegate to the Republican National Convention in 2000 and was a delegate to every Republican State Convention since 2002. Irene was a member of Eagle Forum and Golden Corridor Republican Women where she served as chaplain for over 20 years. Golden Corridor awarded her the Unsung Hero award in 2006. Irene became a Shaklee distributor in 1986 and was active in the North Texas Shaklee Association. Her desire was for everyone she met to live a healthy life.She was a woman of deep, personal faith in Jesus Christ. She taught children’s Sunday School for many years and led a Women’s Bible Study on Tuesday mornings for over forty years. Irene was head of the women’s ministry in her church, part of evangelism ministry, was an altar worker at several Billy Graham crusades and led many people to faith. She supported various ministries and had a passion for the unborn, participating in the annual National Right to Life march in downtown Dallas and the Life Chain. She is survived by her daughter Susan Haertner and her husband Herb, daughter Lisa Nance, and son John Wright and his wife Sulayne. In addition, Irene had six grandchildren; Matthew, Micah, Daniel, Katia, Gabriel and Angelica, three great-grandchildren; Emma, Jade, and Emilia. She is also survived by her brother Frank DuGan and his wife Joan and numerous beloved nieces and nephews. The family is very grateful to Maria Apfel for the loving, devoted care she provided in Irene’s last months.There will be a service to honor Irene’s life on Thursday, November 16, 2017, beginning at 10:00 AM at Christ Church, located at 4550 Legacy Drive, Plano, Texas 75024. Irene will be laid to rest at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery at 2:00 PM.Arrangements have been entrusted to Restland Funeral Home. Located at 13005 Greenville Ave, at Restland Road, Dallas, Texas 75243. (972) 238-7111.In Lieu of Flowers, donations may be made to Save the Storks or Samaritan’s Purse.
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