Christopher Dale Wright

Christopher Dale Wright, 51, ascended to Heaven to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on March 13, 2022. Chris was the beloved father to Xavier Sebastian Wright (his incredibly sweet and brilliant 10-year old son) and Joaquin Kinkead Wright (his baby son who passed at birth).

He was the son of Eva Cassidy Wright and Larry Dale Wright, who counted Chris as one of their greatest blessings in life. Chris had one sibling, Kaci Lea-Ann Wright, whom he loved greatly and counted as his best friend until her recent passing. He also considered Xavier and Joaquin’s mother, Ana Cavazos, as a very close friend and often spoke of the wonderful mother she is to Xavier.

To say Chris was brilliant is truly an understatement. When in pre-school, the administration decided there was nothing he could learn in Kindergarten, so they advanced him straight to first grade. His strong academic prowess and performance in grade school continued through college where he was a recognized scholar. Chris obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from East Tennessee State University (ETSU).

Chris’ brilliant mind was accompanied by a servant heart evidenced by his choice to serve in several federal government positions in Georgia, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Texas that involved helping the underprivileged and underrepresented. His last position as Operations Director for the Georgia Department of Human Services connected him to a non-profit, Santa’s Stocking, which focused on ensuring children in foster care had something special to open on Christmas morning.
All of Chris’ professional positions were targeted at helping people—something that he learned from his parents and sister as they showed him every day what it means to have a servant heart. Chris’ brilliant mind would have afforded him the types of jobs that brought in millions of dollars, but he instead focused on helping people and staying connected to his fellow man. He lived the motto, “There but by the grace of God go I.”

Chris had many interests in life, including a love for bulldogs. He had three bulldogs—Lou, Daisy, and Xochitl (pronounced Soshi and an Aztec word meaning flower girl). There is that brilliant mind kicking in! Who would research the Aztec language and find just that special name, but Chris.

His intellect led him to be a prolific reader of non-fiction and a passionate movie critic of documentaries, foreign films (with subtitles so he could pick up other languages), and biographies. He was a faithful Jeopardy fan and tuned in each night to go head-to-head in virtual buzzer-beating competition with his friend, Paula. Chris usually won, not only beating Paula but the Jeopardy contestants as well.

For those that really knew Chris, they understood he had a common side to him. He had an undeniable passion for zombie movies. His collection of zombie movies filled bookcases upon bookcases in his home. Some believe his zombie collection would rival that of studio houses. All of his zombie movies had been watched not once, but multiple times.
He also loved University of Tennessee (UT) football and basketball. Chris and his cousins would watch the games “together” even though they lived in different states. The cousins would have a running commentary on how well the team performed that day, how bad the other SEC teams were compared to UT, and what needed to be done to up our game. Chris was the one who always knew the stats on all the games. If you wanted to appear smart about UT football and basketball, you just needed to spend a few minutes with Chris. He knew it all, and by listening to him so did we!

Chris’ sweet demeanor was born into him. From a toddler to an adult, Chris never changed. He was genuinely good—the kind of good you want to be but just can’t quite figure out how. Being kind, genuine, compassionate, helpful, and caring were as easy as breathing for Chris. These traits endured Chris to everyone he met along life’s journey.

It is with very heavy heart that we, his family, say farewell to Chris in his passing. We do know that he will be waiting to greet us all in Heaven one glorious day. His incredible smile and warm and welcoming demeanor will make us feel right at home. While Chris’ light is no longer shining here on Earth, it has made the heavens even brighter as his radiance lights up the heavens like large, explosive fireworks—the kind that fill the sky and stay illuminated much longer than expected. This radiance keeps our hearts warm as we look forward to being reunited with him.

Surviving family members include his parents, Larry and Eva Wright; son, Xavier Wright; niece, Ellie Bigham; aunts: Barbara Grills (Wallace), Sandra Warrick, Rebecca Waldo (Frank), Margaret Messick (Kenneth), and Kathy Varner (Larry); uncles: Harold Wright (Phyllis), Hugh Wright (Debbie), and Mark Wright; many cherished cousins: Barbara Jean Sauer (Pat), Christine Dickman (Kyle), Kandy Childress (Chip), Brian Waldo (Tina), Sam Mullins, Joseph Grills (Melissa), Timothy Mullins, Sarah Warrick; and lifelong friends.

Chris is preceded in death by his son, Joaquin Kinkead Wright; his sister, Kaci Lea-Ann Wright; maternal grandmother, Alma Cassidy; grandfather, Reverend Robert McNew Cassidy; paternal grandmother, Alfa Wright; grandfather, Earl Wright; aunts, Vicki Mullins and Rhonda Wright; uncles, Wallace Grills and Larry Varner; and cousins, Brenton Wright, Joshua Warrick, Koby Messick, and Savannah Stair.

Visitation is planned for Sunday, March 20 from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. at Companion Funeral Home, 2415 Georgetown Road NW, Cleveland, TN 37320 with the funeral following the visitation. Pastor Frank Waldo will officiate the service. Honorary pallbearers include Brian Waldo, Sam Mullins, Joseph Grills, and Timothy Mullins.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Appalachian Miles for Smiles (a dental ministry for those uninsured or underinsured), P.O. Box 3215, Kingsport, TN. 37660, or the Central Baptist Food Bank, 301 Carver Street, Kingsport, TN 37660.
To leave an online condolence for the family, please visit Companion Funeral Home at www.companionfunerals.com.