Dean Wright

Dean William Wright of Little Rock departed this life with Christ on August 7, 2021, after an extended battle with cancer. Dean was born to Ivan and Phyllis Bailey Wright on his mother’s 26th birthday, June 12, 1956, in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. Dean attended boarding high school at Great Lakes Christian College in Beamsville, Ontario, where he made some of his closest lifelong friends. In order to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Bible, he transferred to Harding College in Searcy, AR. There he met the love of his life, Laura Joan Lewis, of Jacksonville, AR. Dean and Laura moved to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada for 7 years at the start of their marriage, and Dean completed a BS in Biology at McMaster University. They then moved to North Little Rock where Dean started his 35 year career in research and IT at UAMS. From 1984 to 1994 he was the preaching minister for the Oak Grove Church of Christ. In 1994 the family joined the Pleasant Valley Church of Christ where Dean served as an elder and provided leadership on the missions committee.

Dean Wright leaves a legacy of faithfulness to God’s kingdom, joyful love for family, and gentle service to his neighbor. Dean and Laura’s 44 years of marriage stands as a winsome testimony of loving submission to one another in the Lord. He was an engaged and affirming father to Jenni, Alisa, and Charles. Dean was involved in acts of service throughout his life, including leading children’s chapel at CAC, teaching adult Bible classes at church, traveling for years to Haiti, serving on PV Church youth group mission trips, volunteering as a Pulaski County police chaplain, and holding babies at the Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Dean was known for how he delighted in children and babies. His favorites were his 11 grandchildren, who called him Pa. Above all, Dean loved his Creator with his whole being and was committed to the truth of Scripture. Dean is a disciple of Jesus and now rests in the Almighty’s eternal reward.

It is impossible to pay adequate tribute to such a man in the few lines of an obituary. Rather, we will remind ourselves and others of Dean’s trust in God and love of his neighbor until the end of his earthly life. We give thanks to God for his servant Dean Wright. Dean waits in Christ for the hope of the resurrection and life in the new creation.

Dean was preceded in death by his parents and one sister, Ivy Campbell. He is survived by his wife, Laura Lewis Wright; his three children-- Jenni Bills (Nathan) of Accra, Ghana, West Africa, Alisa Copeland (Will) of Bomet, Kenya, East Africa, and Charles Wright of Nashville, TN; 11 grandchildren--Sam, Ruby, Judah, and John Moses Bills, and Liam, Hayden, Harper, Charley, Nora, Emery, and Rhett Copeland; three brothers--George Wright (Susan), Laurie Wright (Shirley), and Galand Curtis Wright, all of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada; one sister--Shelly Meyer (Tim) of Bloomfield Hills, MI; a host of beloved aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews; and friends and loved ones from all over the world.

Those wishing to greet the family are invited to a drive-through visitation at the Pleasant Valley Church of Christ on Sunday, August 15, 2021, from 5-7pm. Participants in the drive-through are requested to enter the church parking lot from Rodney Parham Road, follow the signs, and remain in their vehicles. Funeral services will be at Pleasant Valley Church the following day, Monday, August 16, at 11am, preceded by a visitation at 10am. All in-person attendants should please wear a face mask throughout the service. For those unable to attend in person or unable to wear a mask, the funeral will also be live streamed at http://pvcc.org/wright . Burial will be at a later time at Spring Valley Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Haiti Christian Development Project (HCDP) at https://hcdp.kindful.com .