Peter "Pete" J. Wright

Peter "Pete" J. Wright, 79, of Gresham and formerly of La Grande, died Jan. 13 at his home.

A service to celebrate his life will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday at Bateman Carroll Funeral Home in Gresham with a reception to follow. Military honors and committal will be held at Willamette National Cemetery at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Pete was born Nov. 4, 1929, to William M. and Delores M. (Cavanaugh) Wright in Alliance, Neb. He was raised in Nebraska and at the age of 17 hitch-hiked across the country to Oregon.

He served in the U.S. Navy from Sept. 19, 1951 until Sept. 1, 1955. Pete worked for GTE in La Grande and was a telephone supervisor there for 37 years. He retired in 1986.

Pete married Billie Burger on March 19, 1966. She was a teacher and he worked for the phone company in La Grande. They moved to Gresham in 1989.

A diverse man, Pete had interests that ranged from opera to the National Rifle Association. He was a gunsmith and a member of the Estacada Rod and Gun Club.

Survivors include his wife, Billie of Gresham; sons, Craig Wright of Corbett and Scott Wright of Milwaukie; daughter, Marilyn Ashby of Gresham; stepsons, Philip Craver of Dallas and Douglas Allen of Huntington Beach, Calif.; stepdaughter, Rochelle Wiese of Coquille; brother, Michael E. Wright of Renton, Wash.; sisters, Angela Siegal and Eulalia McGee, both of Redding, Calif., and Margaret Dexter of Troutdale; and 10 grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to Mount Hood Hospice.

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