James (Jim) Bruce Wright

James (Jim) Bruce Wright was born on February 5, 1950 in Columbus, Ohio to Anna Delores Lindsay and Bruce Elwood Wright. His Father Bruce was Navy Veteran, who dedicated his life to the United States. Bruce flew Dive Bombers in the Pacific during World War 2, and was also an aircraft mechanic, serving 15 years in the reserves, before working for Army Civil Service, amongst other things, including Project Manager for Bell Helicopter developments during Vietnam. Bruce, like many others of his generation, would pave the way for future generations to follow second chances of life and liberty. Jim eventually followed his father’s footsteps and would become a Navy Vietnam veteran, husband, father, and great friend too many.
Jim grew up on a ranch near Keller, Texas. They raised cattle and other animals and had many dogs. Jim loved animals, but hated snakes. As a teenager, he built many hot rods and race cars and won many trophies, spending lots of time at the Green Valley Raceway in Smithfield, Texas. In 1967, Jim and a friend of his made fake birth certificates in order to join the Army to fight in Vietnam. Jim got caught, and his friend didn’t, and his childhood friend would soon die in Vietnam, as Jim probably would have as well. A year later, Jim would join the Navy and go to flight school. His eyesight was poor, and was not able to become a pilot. He finished flight school and become a Navigator and did other rear flight operations on P2 Neptunes, as well as Intruders. After a few years of flight, Jim was reassigned to non-flight duties and didn’t adjust well to his liking, and would find his exit soon thereafter.
With much political debate in the country at the time of the Vietnam War, Jim chose not to take the financial help of the armed forces and would put himself through school in Electrical Engineering. With great stress of a previous relationship and at a very low point in his life, Jim started his career in Telecom, which is where he would meet his wife and life partner, Rose, a devoted Christian woman, who would help turn his life around. They were married on January 7, 1977, and would remain married 43 years, until his untimely death. Rose was his number one in his life. He sacrificed many times throughout the years, personally and professionally to make her happy and give her everything she wanted, not just materially, but spiritually as well. Their happiness and mental well-being was everything. The stress of his sacrifices, no matter how difficult, was no matter to him. He loved her and would do anything for her because it was the right thing to do. Their bond was great, and rarely fought. Not to say, they didn’t have their struggles, but they did it together. Accepting other’s character flaws is difficult for most of us, but he loved those small little flaws in Rose the most and chose to view them as a unique individualistic traits. Jim had extraordinary self-will in that regards and is one of his most admirable actions. It seemed to be, all in the small details.
In December of 1978, Jim and Rose welcomed their first child Jared, into their lives. Jared was a bright boy, as Jim would later claim, “he was too smart for his own good,” and at times was “his own worst enemy,” which would lead to challenging times for Rose and Jim through his adolescence. Jim never gave up on Jared, and would encourage him to try new things. After Jared showed great promise as a baseball player, Jim thought maybe this would be a path for him. Jared would eventually get burnt out with baseball and the major injuries that came with it. Jared also showed extraordinary talent as a musician, but with Jim travelling much, and Jared moving out of the house, Jim was unaware of his musical greatness, and would try one last time to encourage Jared to join the military or enroll at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical School, in hopes that Jared would follow him and his granddad. Some years later, with his uncompromised view of art in respects of the music business, Jared took his musical failures and moved to Colorado. After trying different career paths, he would find he was always good at fixing things, just like his granddad. These failures and second chance opportunities, along with the guidance of his love, Christina, would give him focus and reason, and allow him to open his own business in the auto industry. Jim would later admit to Jared, that he was proud of his son, not for his natural talents, but for never giving up and always finding another road.
In December of 1983, Jim and Rose welcomed their second child, Sarah into their lives. Sarah was Jim and Rose’s pride and joy. A happy child, very practical, and extremely loving of everyone she ever met. Everyone loved Sarah. She had all the best traits of both Jim and Rose. She had Jim’s positive optimism, the brains of both, and Rose’s kind and loving manners. Sarah’s first big life challenge would come at the end of her junior year of high school. Jim took a job in Colorado, which required relocation. Sarah did not want to go to a new school her final year of high school. She stayed behind and lived with Jared, and would drive 25 miles each way to school her senior year of high school. Without direction or safety from her parents, she would learn self-sufficiency and personal responsibility early in life. After college, Sarah went to work for an attorney. The environment was toxic. After years there, unsure of her future, and the stress of not having a job, Sarah found a different happiness in her newly husband James. Barely married, they took a leap of faith and without any plans, packed some belongings and headed for New Zealand, in the hopes of having a happier life together. Sarah took a job at the University of Auckland and they have been able to extend their stay in paradise indefinitely.
Throughout Jim’s career in Telecom, there were many ups and downs. In 1981, Jim took a job with Toshiba America, which would hurt his relationship with his father for the next 10 years before they would reconcile, which he later regretted having happened at all. Financial stresses were recurrent as well. Four different times, Jim was laid off from his job, each time coming right before Christmas. Jim took his family on Christmas vacations every year to visit family in Nebraska and Missouri. Never once did he burden anyone with the news of his layoff at Christmas holidays. He always wanted family to have best Christmases together. Jim also went back to school at different times in his career to further educate himself. He held degrees of BS, MBA, and PHD in Business Administration. Though most that know him in the business world are unaware, as he never liked to tell people, he was technically, Dr. Wright.
For those that knew Jim, they would say he was extremely ethical man, which was rare in the business world these days. He loved to grow the businesses he worked for in his career as well as hiring people. Giving people jobs was a secret pride of his, and he had the utmost respect for people and companies that protected and expanded jobs. Even when he had to discipline subordinates, he chose to give people second chances, whether sending an employee to company paid alcohol classes, or reassigning someone to a different position. He was always full of smiles and optimistic about challenges. He loved to laugh and be childish at times, full of whimsy, but not in a foolhardy way.
Jim had many hobbies throughout his life. He collected firearms, liked big game hunting, and continued target shooting later in his life when he felt too old to go tracking in the woods. He absolutely loved to read. Fictional books were his favorites. He always said, they were “his escape of the stress and pressures of this world.” Cooking was another hobby Jim enjoyed. With a travelling career, he was unable to pursue much cooking. Jim got to enjoy cooking more often in retirement. Every day, he would cook Rose’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Jim also owned his own plane, when he lived in Boulder, Colorado. He loved flying personally. Professionally, he racked up more than 2 million miles flying, but he hated it, because it took away time from his family. Jim has travelled all over the world. He has been to many countries throughout Europe and Asia. He has also been to almost every state in the US.
Second chances are the backbone of Jim’s life and his family’s lives. We hope to have the chance to see him again.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Heart and Stroke Foundation at https://www2.heart.org/site/TR/FunRaiser/General?px=18302884&pg=personal&fr_id=3930 in memory of James Bruce Wright. Options on website are available to send a sympathy card to:
Rose Wright
Lucas and Blessing Funeral Home
518 SW Johnson Ave
Burleson, TX, 76028
Or e-card to rwrighttx@att.net

Links to Jim's favorite songs and hymns:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UGEaWfiDGA
https://youtu.be/OOKaircCiGI
https://youtu.be/GQPX4bRDtFI
https://youtu.be/NgIoOujn6zQ
https://youtu.be/2qxxDC0p2IY
https://youtu.be/eA7tbrhGD44