Leon A. Wright

Leon A. Wright, 88, of Danville, formerly of Fithian, passed away at 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, July 9, 2008 at the Hawthorne Inn, with his family by his side. Leon was born on January 3, 1920 in Royal, Illinois, the son of James and Beatrice (Silkey) Wright. Leon married Lois Smoot Huckin on December 7, 1940, at her parents home in Fithian. She survives. They celebrated their 67th anniversary in December. Leon and Lois have two children- Lee A. (Gayle Witsman) Wright of Tilton and L. Ann (Mike Metzen) Wright of Fithian. They have four grandchildren- Shelley Prickett of Palm Beach, Florida, Brad A Wright of Tilton, Shanon K. Smith and Jade Smith of Champaign and they have three great-grandchildren- Taylor Payne and Madison Prickett both of Palm Beach, Florida and Cali Wright of Tilton. Also surviving are his three sisters- Margaret Jamison of Catlin, Nora (Cliff) Jolley of Fairmount and Kathryn McDonald of Martin, Tennessee. Leon is survived by many nieces and nephews whom he dearly loved. He was preceded in death by his parents, one brother- James Wright Jr. and one infant sister. Leon farmed for over 40 years in the Fithian area after working for the University of Illinois for seven years. Leon retired from farming in 1993. He was a member of the Farm Bureau, Ogden American Legion and the Ogden Masonic Lodge. Leon loved family, farming and going to Florida in the winter. He enjoyed all sports and especially the Chicago Cubs and Bears. A Celebration of the Life of Leon A. Wright will be at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, July 12, 2008 at Sunset Funeral Home and Cremation Center, with Reverend Kim Dancey. Visitation will be from 12:00 " 2:00 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Burial will be at Stearns Cemetery following the service. Memorials may be made to the Fithian United Methodist Church or to the Vermilion County Conservation District. E-mail condolences may be sent to the family at: www.sunsetfuneralhome.com.