Elizabeth Wright

Elizabeth Wright, a resident of Akron for nearly seven decades, died Feb. 19 at Rosa Coplon Living Center in Getzville. She was 92.

Betty spent most of her early years in Buffalo’s Parkside neighborhood. In the early 1940s her parents moved with their three young daughters to Roycroft Boulevard in Snyder. An accomplished student of the viola, Betty performed with Buffalo-area string ensembles while attending Amherst High School. Her love of music continued through her life, as a soprano voice in Buffalo-area chorales and in the choir at Akron First United Methodist church where she also directed the youth singers.

After graduating from Amherst High in 1948, Betty went to work for the Stanford Seed Co. Trained as a laboratory analyst, she worked at the Buffalo company until her marriage in 1953 to C. Dee Wright, whom she met at a church-sponsored bowling party. A move to Akron followed, and introduced her to a new community that would be the source of many close relationships for the rest of her life. At the center of that community was the Methodist church, whose families embraced the new girl in town, fostering friendships that endured for decades.

Later, she traveled the world as a conference delegate to international meetings of the United Methodist Church. During that time, she mentored young women from the church, encouraging them and sharing her life’s experiences. In addition to church activities, for many years she was a clerk at the Akron branch of the Buffalo and Erie County library system and volunteered at the Brothers of Mercy Campus in the nursing home gift shop.     

Raising four children was a job unto itself, but Betty never grew weary of following the diverse interests and careers of her two sons and two daughters. She took pride in their accomplishments and was quick to share their successes with her friends. As a grandmother, she tracked the achievements of her five grandsons and three granddaughters with the same enthusiasm, keeping current on their exploits and dispensing advice when important life decisions arose.

The Wright household was a center of activity in a community teeming with young families during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. The front door was always open to neighborhood kids. At Christmas she baked hundreds of cookies, many of which found their way into the homes of neighbors and family friends. Regardless of the season, her kitchen was a busy place. There were fruits and vegetables to be canned or frozen, spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove and jellies and jams freshly preserved. And for one weekend in the fall, friends were treated to hundreds of her freshly made glazed doughnuts   

Elizabeth Joy Smith was born in Buffalo on Oct. 17, 1930, the second daughter of Frank L. Smith Jr. and Alice (Bement) Smith. Her grandfather, Martin O. Bement, served as a Buffalo Common Council member in the 1930s and was later appointed U.S. Collector of Customs for the port of Buffalo. Betty and Dee, a craftsman and community leader, had been married 45 years when he died in 1998. Betty moved from the family home in Akron to Rosa Coplon in 2019.  

Survivors include daughters Amy DeYoung of Akron and Meg Tyson of Colorado Springs, CO.; sons Jeffrey (Cheryl) Wright of Akron and Brian (Jacqueline) Wright of Fayetteville, NY; grandchildren Mara Wright, Gillian Wright, Derek (Candice) DeYoung, Ian (Corina) Tyson Peters, Ivy Tyson, Alexander (Ariadne) Wright, Christian Wright and Jonathan Wright; great grandchildren Stellan Peters, Dylan DeYoung and Charlotte DeYoung; sisters Alice Marks of Hilton Head, S.C., and Marta Campbell of Westport, CT., and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

The family will be present 11 AM- 1PM on Saturday, Feb. 25 at the Ross Funeral Home, 10 Eckerson Ave.  A memorial service will immediately follow at the funeral home. Gifts in Betty’s memory may to made to the Akron Fire Co.

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