10/30/2025
Passing of a member...
Randall Lynn Wright (Randy), was a devoted son, husband, father, and friend to many. He battled nearly five years with a cancer that was tenacious, a warrior who exhibited incredible bravery and never gave up. He passed peacefully in his home in Newton with his wife Betty, daughters Catherine and Christine, and son-in-law Shawn by his side. As a Believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, he is now in His Presence, whole and restored.
While Randy was born in Shreveport, Louisiana on March 24, 1955, his Mom, Lucia Faye Stewart Wright, and Dad, Jesse Dewey Wright Jr. were only residents there briefly, so Randy spent most of his childhood in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which he considered home. They were also in Oxnard, California for a short time. Randy has a living sister, Cindi Epps, and a brother, Steven Sullivan Wright, deceased.
He and his Dad were very close and Randy grew up as one of “two old bachelors”, as his parents divorced when he was five. Jesse was a “first generation bomb builder” who worked for Sandia Labs in Albuquerque. His talents and interests were passed to his son Randy, who became a “second generation bomb builder”. They owned and flew two airplanes, a 1957 Piper Tri-Pacer and a Cherokee. They were both very involved in RC airplanes when the sport was just beginning, building models and helping to develop and test controllers, flying in airstrips on the West Mesa and traveling to other locations for meets. Jesse’s family was from Missouri, so Randy remembers many summer plane trips out to visit and stay awhile, fishing the small farm ponds with his Uncle Bill, and creating lasting memories of small town midwestern life. He and Betty visited his cousins in Cameron in 2023, staying with cousin Connie Lintner, a family reunion that blessed him so much.
Randy loved knowing how things worked - he could take apart and fix just about anything, especially electronics and radios, but also anything electrical, computer related, plumbing, woodworking, restoring cars, especially his beloved 1970 Datsun 240Z, bright yellow, which he loved to autocross and rally in. He was all about maintaining his daughters cars through the years, and earned the sign Christine designed and created for him “Dad’s Garage -if it’s broke, Call Dad! - Open 24 hours”. He graduated from Monzano High School in 1973, earned his BS in Electrical Engineering at New Mexico State, and his Masters at UMass Amherst. He worked at Barr Radio in the 1970s, moving into the R&D world with various DOD contractors: BDM, Hughes Aircraft, Rockwell and Raytheon.
He met his wife Betty of 37 years at the OTH-B Radar System in 1981, when his company sent him from Albuquerque to Maine (in the dead of a Northeast winter) to test and evaluate the system. Betty was working at the site as a data tech and that, as they say, is history. She moved back to Albuquerque with him where they lived for two years, both working on the Airborne Laser Laboratory (ALL) - think Reagan’s Star Wars project, moving to Las Cruces to work on another High Energy Laser project (HELSTF) at White Sands.
It was here that Randy and Betty began their family: Catherine Lynn was born April 15, 1989, and Christine Lee, born November 23, 1991. Their births fundamentally changed their lives in profound and wonderful ways. Randy embraced fatherhood and dearly cherished and loved each daughter so much! He and Betty decided to move to Maine in 1995, preferring a more rural setting for the girls to grow up in. Randy needed to reinvent himself occupationally, having no R&D opportunities in rural Maine, and moved to the manufacturing engineering field, where he was a test engineer for General Signal, Sensor Research and Development, SCI, GE, and UTC.
We were blessed with owning a camp on Sebasticook Lake in Newport, Maine for many years. Camp life is a tremendous experience: boating, swimming, kayaking, listening to the loons, family gatherings, campfires, playing outside with the girls - we were very blessed!
A job change brought Randy and Betty to Newton, North Carolina in 2014, where they enjoyed the beautiful seasons and Southern ways, making wonderful friends in the Catawba Valley British Motor Club, the Broad River European Motor Club, and the Queen City Cra-Zs. So many beautiful mountain roads to explore in the Z3 with friends!
Randy’s last 4.5 years were marked by his illness, though it did not define him in any way. Countless MRIs and tests and major surgeries and appointments were faced and accepted with fortitude and valor. Randy leaves behind his wife Betty, daughter Catherine and son Shawn of Williamsburg, and Christine of Conover.
A celebration of life is planned for November 17, 2025 at Calvary Chapel Lake Norman in Troutman at 6 pm.
Address is:
Calvary Chapel Lake Norman
110 Moose Club Road
Statesville, N C 28677
