Leland Edward Wright

Leland Edward Wright, of El Paso, Texas, passed away on November 9, 2020. He was 81 years old. Lee, as friends and family knew him, was born in Karnak, Illinois, to Alice and Jim Wright. Lee spent his youth in Trilla and Mattoon, Illinois, where on a fateful Friday evening in 1956 at Gil’s Walk-In he met his high-school sweetheart Sandra. Lee enlisted in the Army in July of 1959 and he and Sandra were married not long after. Lee and Sandra spent the next twenty years in locales ranging from Pleasant Hill, Missouri, to Okinawa, Japan, to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, making friends and babies along the way. Lee served his last several years with the Hawk Missile Unit at Fort Bliss. Lee retired as a Sergeant First Class in 1979 and he and his family settled in El Paso. Lee went to work for Raytheon in 1980, a job that took him around the world managing projects and teaching the Patriot Missile System until cancer forced him into retirement in 2001. Lee was a proud Mason and Shriner. He served as the Worshipful Master at Wallace Hughston Masonic Lodge in 2007-2008 and was a member of the Al Maida Shrine, where he played an active role in Shrine ceremonies and community outreach. Lee belonged to the Al Maida Tin Lizzie unit for over fifteen years and deeply enjoyed driving his Lizzie, aptly named Sandy Andy Jane, in parades throughout southern New Mexico and west Texas. Lee enjoyed golf, especially his regularly scheduled Saturday and Sunday morning outings at Underwood Golf Course. He was an avid St Louis Cardinals fan and spent his Sundays every fall cheering on his Dallas Cowboys, usually in frustration, of course. Lee was known for his quick wit and masterful joke telling. For years he and Sandra threw lively Christmas parties, where, back in his full-bellied days, he regaled guests with his spot-on Santa Claus. He loved the chile verde con carne from Chope’s, fruit pies, especially apple and peach, and his wife’s roast and vegetable dish. He was a loving husband, father, brother, and friend, and a doting grandfather and great-grandfather. He will be sorely missed. Lee is preceded in death by his parents and his brother John. Lee is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Sandra; his siblings Jimmy and Jean; his children Kathie Beeson, Leah Lindecke (Ed), George, and James (Angie); his grandchildren Danielle, Bailey, Veronica, Nora, and Henry; his great-grandchildren Aubree, MacKenzie, Leland, and Mila. When the times permit, Sandra and her children will hold an event to commemorate Lee’s life.