- Date Of Birth: November 28, 1923
- Date Of Death: April 9, 2021
- State: Florida
Lt Colonel, William D Wright, Jr, 97, of South Miami, Fl, passed away on Friday morning, April 9, 2021, after a 6 month battle with pancreatic cancer. He is survived by his only son Robert, Daughter-in-law Janet, and three grandchildren: Robert, Jr (29), Ainsley Bjernegard (26), and Anne Wright (21). He is also survived by his sister Lois Allison, of Pembroke Pines, Fl.
WD as he was called, to distinguish himself from his father, was born in Key West, Fl, November 28,1923. Sometime before kindergarden, his parents moved to Miami-Dade county and settled in the Modelo area, where he attended Redland Elementary school, until eight, when his family relocated to the City of Miami, where he finished elementary school and would graduate from Robert E. Lee Jr High. He began Miami HS with a very tiring daily routine, waking each day at 3:30 AM, to deliver The Miami Herald, to families up and down Biscayne Blvd.
After the war, he returned home to begin college. For his high test scores, he had been offered a full scholarship to the University of Florida, but wanted to remain in Miami. He enrolled at the University of Miami in 1946, where he was a proud active member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity, until his graduation in 1949, with a BS in Industrial Engineering.
As a graduate, he began his career in accounting with Ware Laboratories, and would eventually return to school to complete all the necessary courses to give him the equivalent of an accounting degree. At that time, not many engineering jobs existed in Miami and he did not want to relocate. He joined the reserves and was called up for the Korean War as a Lt., but would remain in the states.
After the Korean war, he joined the CIA and served for a few years in Washington, DC, fighting communism, but found the clandestine nature of the assignment too anti-social, therefore resigning for the private sector. In 1955 a fraternity brother introduced him to a pretty young lady, Carolyn Baer, who had recently moved from north Florida. In 1957 they were married in Gainesville, Fl, at her mothers house. He could hardly stomach a Gainesville wedding, since he was a die hard Hurricane.
He would then spend his next few years as a corporate accountant/controller for Howard Johnsons. Not wanting a transfer to Boston, he joined Burger King corporation in 1967, where he remained until 1982 as a controller. He then held two controller positions with smaller companies as he transitioned to retirement.
During retirement, he was a very active tennis player, staying involved with the Florida junior tennis circuit, after dedicating many years to Robby’s (son) junior tennis career.
Anyone who knew W.D., knew him as the True Gentleman.
