Bill Wright was born on June 24th, 1935 in Olympia, Washington and passed away after a short illness in Eureka on February 15th, 2017. While a native of Olympia, since his young teens till his death at age 81, he called Humboldt County his home.

Bill was a hard worker who stayed busy and physically active up until the time of his death. He started working for a freight line distributor while attending Eureka High and after graduation continued delivering goods to the local area for 40-plus years with the same company. Upon retiring he decided he wanted a challenge for himself and took up a new career, logging. At the age when most folks are retiring from logging he entered it.

In his late sixties he moved from logging to spending more time on his hobbies. This included moving from Eureka to live full-time at his vacation home on the golf course in Willow Creek. Bill was an avid golfer, fisherman and gardener, famous among his friends for his tomatoes.

In addition to Willow Creek, Shelter Cove was one of his special places. He would spend a month or so there every summer for the last 25 years of his life sharing fishing adventures, food and stories with family and his Shelter Cove friends. His Arizona condo was also a favorite destination, as this is where his sons and their kids lived.

Bill had a soft spot for old collectible cars. He loved the car shows and owned a special edition black convertible Miata and a 1974 Dodge Challenger Rallye. The Miata was often driven, in Bill’s later years, from Willow Creek to Shelter Cove with the top down the whole way.

People who knew Bill described him as an “absolutely great guy” and “one of the most giving people I’ve ever met.” And while he hated to have his picture taken, he stood out in a crowd of his peers because of his full head of thick white hair, envied by his male friends and even his sons. In a conversation with Bill he was always more interested in finding out about you than telling you all about himself, a rare trait these days. He is preceded in death by his wife of 40 years, Darlyn Miles Wright (1933-2011). Bill will be missed by us all especially his children, Suzanne (Ginger) Wright, twin sons Kenn and Keith Wright, his four grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and his best friend for the last five years, Kathy Pitlock.

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The obituary above was submitted by Bill Wright’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.