More detail on this person: Retired U.S. Army Col. Billy Rhea Wright SAN ANGELO - Retired U.S. Army Col. Billy Rhea Wright, age 77, died peacefully at 5:45 a.m. Sunday, March 14, 2004, at home after a long, courageous battle with cancer. Services with military honors will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 17, at Johnson's Funeral Home. At Col. Wright's request, family friend Lois Stanley will be officiating. Family visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, March 16, in the Family Room of Johnson's Funeral Home. Born on Aug. 7, 1926, in Nocona, Texas, to Letha DeLona Mansell Wright and Albert Nathan Wright, Billy Rhea was delivered by Dr. Crane, father of UT All-American football player Jack Crane. In 1927 the family moved to the oilfields of Crane, Texas, where Bill's father worked for Tidewater Oil Company and his mother ran the Tidewater Boarding House for the company. At first living in a tent, the family moved around Crane to various oilfield camp houses. Starting school in 1932 in Crane, he graduated in 1943 from Crane High School where he played coronet and trumpet in the band. He then attended AandM for one year before entering the U.S. Army through selective service and remained in the army for a 33-year career. Before entering the service, he had attained private licensing as a pilot. In Basic Training he became a field artilleryman. Then, after Field Artillery Air Mechanic course, he attended Field Artillery OCS, graduating in October 1945. After the war was over in both theaters, he went immediately on an occupation tour to Germany where he remained until 1946 at which time he went to Japan and Korea for similar occupation duty. He returned to the States from his first tour in Korea in April 1948. Upon his return, he was assigned to Civilian Components Duty where he was Reserve Affairs Adviser in Midland, Texas. In August 1948 Col. Wright married his first wife, Mary Jo Burk of Snyder, Texas, from whom he would be divorced in 1970. From 1948-51, he was in and out of army schools and flight training. Before he finished Flight School at Waco, Texas, his first son, Charles, was born in Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio in August 1949. Then from temporary active duty, he returned in May 1950 to AandM for another six months of schooling. In January of 1952 he was called out of school for active duty in Korea. He reported to Fort Sill, Okla., where he was assigned to Helicopter Flight Training. Upon completion of this, he was ordered to Korea as a helicopter pilot. While in Korea for 13 months tour of duty, he served as personal helicopter pilot and aide-de-camp for Lt. Gen. W. B. Palmer, corps commander. Upon Gen. Palmer's departure in April of 1952, Col. Wright remained in Korea and assumed duties for Palmer's replacement, Lt. Gen. I. D. White, from August 1952 to April 1953. Returning then to Fort Sill where he was assigned as Aviation Safety Officer, he attended Artillery Officers' Advanced Course, and his second son, Roy, was born there in October 1954. In Col. Wright's early military career, he participated in the following: U.S.A.F. Flight Safety Course, January 1954 at U.S.C., Los Angeles; Army Aviation Program (where his duties were divided equally between ground and air, including schools as part of ground duty); Joint Staff College at Norfolk, Va.; Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pa.; Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., 1960-61; McV Staff Officer, after a year in Vietnam. From February 1968 to August 1968, he served as commander of Combat Aviation Battalion, at which time he was promoted to Colonel and reassigned to command the Combat Aviation Group at Nha Trang, Vietnam. In January 1970, he returned to the States and was assigned to the Pentagon for duty with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, where he remained for three years. While Bill was stationed at the Pentagon, friends Kenneth and Estelle Herring, introduced him to Barbara Ann Thompson, who would become his wife. After their marriage in 1973, the couple moved to Fort Monroe, Va., where Col. Wright was assigned until his retirement from the service in 1977. Upon his retirement, Col. Wright had commanded at all levels of ground duty and air duty command - from captain to colonel - in field artilleries, ground units, and air units. He was truly "a soldier's soldier." His statement about his career and his life was "It was fun! It was worth the ride." After retiring, the Wrights moved to San Angelo to be close to friends and to Goodfellow Air Force Base. Since retirement, Col. Wright enjoyed "tinkering around" and making repairs in his shop as well as sail boating and playing tennis. As a "slight humorist," he was famous for the entertainment he provided for many years at annual family Christmas dinners where he was recognized as the master of the pun and the double entendre. Col. Wright was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, four years older, Edwin Derrell Wright, a B-17 bomber pilot who was killed in action in World War II in April 1945. Survivors include his wife, Barbara; son, retired Lt. Col. Charles Wright and his wife, Maj. Gen. Jessica Wright, of Annville, Pa.; son, Roy Wright of San Angelo; granddaughters, Christine Wright of Austin and Shaula Wright of College Station; grandson, Mike Wright of Annville, Pa.; two great-grandchildren, Sydney and Austin Wright of Austin, Texas; and two devoted dogs, Beauregard "Beau" and Hershey. The family wishes to express its appreciation to Dr. Vayden Stanley of VistaCare Hospice, to Robin Young, R.N., to Ann Crow, C.N.A., to all the staff of VistaCare for their special care and support during the last months of Col. Wright's life, and to Richard Moreno of BandI Home Medical Equipment who was "Johnny on the spot." The family requests that memorials to made to VistaCare Hospice Foundation, 940-B Arroyo Drive, San Angelo, TX 76903.
Burial information: Crane Memorial Cemetery, Crane, TX
This information was last updated 04/07/2021
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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
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