Richard Duane Wright

If there ever was a man who searched for truth and the reasons and motives behind it, that man was Richard Wright. Born April 16, 1940, in Logan, Utah, to Duane Orson and Effie Ceceilia Larsen Wright, Richard grew up in Salt Lake City on 3300 South and Main and later on the family farm in Holladay. He was the oldest of seven children in a family raised on pioneer faith, work ethic, responsibility, and love.

A proud graduate of Granite High School in 1958, Richard soon left Utah to serve the Lord and the people of the Uruguay Mission, where his testimony deepened and his love for Latin America took root. He went on to study Latin American Studies and Economics at the University of Utah and graduated from BYU - a combination that hints at the balance that would mark much of his life.

On September 11, 1965, Richard married LeiLani Chalker in the Los Angeles Temple. Together they built a family of ten children - a lively, loyal, and faith-filled clan - and that love multiplied to include 37 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. He was faithful to his family and was proud of their accomplishments and achievements. Richard championed family camping trips, even after his kids were grown and married, and he maintained a regular habit of playing chess with his grandchildren.

Richard lived with a sense of the importance of natural and organic fuels that left an imprint on everyone around him. His children remember his fierce commitment to health and nutrition - a man ahead of his time with his green drinks and vitamin regimens - and his love for the outdoors, from the Wasatch mountains to any winding trail that led to sunshine. He taught his kids how to work, how to notice the details, and how to fix a sprinkler system (which, in his eyes, was an art form and a near-sacred duty).

He was patient, curious, entrepreneurial, meticulous and adventurous. And though he carried a fiery temper in his younger years, it softened with time into a deep gratitude for life and for the care he received from others.

He was a man who prepared for the worst and who lived for the best. He taught his family skills of homesteading, gardening, livestock, of living off the land, of independence and of self-determination. Richard never stopped seeking for truth, for learning, and for the unseen motivations of humanity. When he found something that he believed in, he shared that truth generously with any who would hear. He staunchly advocated for those things that he most deeply believed.

Richard was grateful for the care he received in the last few years. In his last week, he saw and connected with all his loving family. On October 31, 2025, at the age of 85, Richard Wright passed away quietly, surrounded by people who love him.

Richard is survived by his wife, LeiLani, and a great posterity - Jason (Michelle), Casey (Stacey), Jeremy (Jennifer), Brian (Chanda), Bart (Shonnie), Lisa (Josh) Jones, Brad (Lindy), Molly (Kenton) Andersen, David, Suzy (Brannon) Ayres, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his beloved parents, his brother David, and two cherished grandchildren, Christine Wright and Zachary Wright. His was a life of purpose, curiosity, and devotion - a builder’s hands, a missionary’s heart, and a father’s love that will echo through generations.

Funeral Services, entrusted to Russon Mortuary, will be held at the Alta Heights Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, located at 1500 E 8600 S, Sandy, Utah. A viewing will be held Thursday, November 6, 2025, at 9:30-10:30 a.m. followed directly by funeral services at 11:00 a.m. Richard will be laid to rest at Elysian Burial Gardens with his family.