Doris Gene Edwards Wright

Doris Gene Edwards Wright was born in Carnegie, Oklahoma on May 3, 1926 to Diehl and Fannie Mary Blevins Edwards. She lived in Oklahoma City from 1936-1944.

She met Mary Jean Buzbee Baker when they were in 6th grade. They have been best friends for 77 years.

She graduated from Classen High School in 1944 and she continued to be a proud alumnus. She made it back to Oklahoma City for her 50th and 60th high school reunions.

Doris Gene attended Baylor Hospital School of Nursing in Dallas, Texas from 1944 to 1947 and graduated as a registered nurse. There she met her future husband, Newell Bennett 'Ben' Wright who was in the Baylor University School of Dentistry.

On November 1, 1947 Doris Gene and Ben were married in St. Luke's Epsicopal Church in Grants Pass. Here they made their home and raised their family.

Doris Gene worked in the Grants Pass Clinic in 1947 and in the 60's. In the 1950's she was a member of the Pink Ladies, an auxillary group, at Josephine General Hospital where she read to the children. She also helped at the Blood Mobile when it came to town. In 2007 she became the Cookie Lady for the Highland Elementary School Good News Club and continued until she became ill in 2014.

She enjoyed camping and fishing on the Chewaucan River in eastern Oregon and playing duplicate bridge at the Elks club here in Grants Pass. She took up golf in the 60's and was an intense competitor. She was the Grants Pass Golf Club Ladies Champion three times. She and Ben spent winters golfing in Death Valley, Californina. She loved wild birds and was an avid bird watcher. Many a spring we would see her rescuing baby geese from the irrigation ditch. In her later years she helped to support Christian missionaries in Spain, Vienna, Burkina Faso and India.

Doris Gene accepted the Lord Jesus as her Savior in November of 1989. She and Ben attended Applegate Christian Fellowship from 1991 until his death in 1997 and she continued to fellowship there until 2006 when she began attending Edgewater Christian Fellowship. She has hosted a home prayer group every Wednesday morning for 20 years. She also hosted a ladies Bible study. Her favorite scripture verses are Proverbs 3:5-6 and 2 Peter 3:18.

A highlight of her life happened in 1994 when she and Ben toured Israel with a group from Applegate Christian Fellowship. They were both baptized in the Jordan River by their pastor Jon Courson. Since then she has encouraged family and friends to visit the Holy Land and see where Jesus walked.

Doris Gene passed peacefully to Heaven from her home in the early morning hours of Tuesday, May 26th, 2015.

She is preceded in death by her husband Ben and son-in-law Candler Smith.

She is survived by her daughter Martha Lee Wright Smith, her two sons Greg Wright and John Wright and her daughters-in-law Kathy Wright and Trina Wright. Doris Gene has five grandchildren – Josh Wright and his wife Emily Wright, Carly Wright Wilder and her husband Ryan Wilder, Jessie Wright, Maggie Wright and TJ Wright. She has two great grandchildren – Bennett James Wright and Isabella Rose Wright and one great granddaughter is soon to be born.

A memorial service will be held for Doris Gene on Saturday, June 6th at 11:00am at the Edgewater Christian Fellowship office at 101 Assembly Circle in Grants Pass.

Private interment will be held at Hillcrest Memorial Park.

Arrangements are made possible by Hull & Hull Funeral Directors.

In lieu of flowers please send donations to Edgewater Christian Fellowship – building fund, 101 Assembly Circle, Grants Pass, OR 97526 or to Lovejoy Hospice, 939 SE 8th Street, Grants Pass, OR 97526.

Doris Gene's family would like to thank her friends and extended family members for all the prayers, visits, phone calls, flowers, cards, meals and help they gave during her illness. She would say, 'I couldn't have done it without you.' The family especially thanks Lovejoy Hospice for their excellent and compassionate care of Doris Gene.