James Douglas Wright

James Wright Obituary Services to honor and celebrate the life of James Douglas "Jim" Wright will be 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, September 7, 2021 at Riverview Baptist Church, 13201 S. Memorial Dr., Bixby, Oklahoma. Family will receive friends for visitation on Monday evening from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at RiverCrest Chapel, Bixby. Jim passed away on Wednesday, September 1, 2021. He was 62. Born May 22, 1959, in Waxahachie, Texas, James Douglas “Jim” Wright was the son of Rev. James Melvin Wright and Donna Rae (Giles) Wright. Jim or “Jimmy”, as he was affectionately known, was welcomed by sisters Brenda and Elaine. Jimmy would later become a big brother to Roger. Although living in Texas at the time of Jimmy’ birth, the Wright family would move to Indiana where Jimmy began school. It was during his third-grade year that the family made another move. This time, they made Bixby, Oklahoma their home. It was very early on in this move that Jimmy made quite an impression on a young lady that he attended church with. Evidently, Anita Martin made quite an impression on Jimmy too! These childhood sweethearts would marry, as soon as they could, and have demonstrated what true love and marriage is supposed to look like for 43 years. At an early age, Jimmy began honing his exceptional craftsman skills. This, as he found enjoyment in taking apart his siblings’ toys and attempting to put them back together again. At times, this yielded only minimal success, but his ‘try, try again’ attitude certainly brought about a wealth of knowledge on how things work and gave him the confidence he needed to take on larger and larger projects as time went on. As a career, Jimmy would begin his trade of painting and staining with his father. Together, they would own “Wright Painting” and enjoyed being a part of the City of Faith project among countless others. Jimmy would later find employment with Oklahoma Fixture, Nordam and, for nearly 20 years, was employed with Wood Systems where he was a paint and wood finish supervisor. Jim was certainly well thought of by his employers and co-workers and took great pride in his work. In these endeavors he was known to be a perfectionist and gave great attention to even the smallest details. Although work was something Jimmy enjoyed, he was more of a ‘work to live guy’ who enjoyed spending time with his family any chance that he could! Many of these family memories were made at the lake or included fishing in some way. Jimmy certainly started the kids, Joshua and Emily, out very early with their own fishing poles and gear. Joshua has countless memories of he and his dad fishing. Two certainly stick out in his mind though. First, it was the time that Jimmy made one more cast before they left a local pond. Josh was standing behind Jimmy when he began making his cast. Before either of them knew what happened, Josh was slapped in the face with a plastic worm which simultaneously wrapped around his eyeglasses. As the cast was made so Josh’s glasses ended up in the middle of the lake. Although they were scared to go home and tell Anita, fortunately she found humor in the situation and an appointment was made for Josh to get new glasses! The other cherished memory was more recent and involved Josh being able to take his dad out on his boat for Father’s Day. This was an incredible day that has even more meaning today. Emily certainly received her fair share of fishing expeditions, with her dad, but one of her favorite memories was getting ready for a Daddy/Daughter Dance to share in. She was so excited to get dressed up and envisioned the evening occurring just like she’d seen in the movies - topped off with the perfect slow dance for this daddy/daughter combo. Emily became quite disappointed when the evening started with drab decorations and the music was a consistent hip hop beat, but dad knew just what to do! The two quickly headed for Sonic to get Emily her favorite drink and then out to Bixhoma Lake where they gazed at the stars, observed the city lights from afar, and enjoyed that slow dance she had envisioned. Anyone who knew Jim knew that his family was of utmost importance. He always put their needs first and took such wonderful care of them. He loved them unconditionally and without any doubt. Another beautiful attribute, he had no problem telling them this either! These actions were an extension of his solid faith and belief in his Savior, Jesus. Jim also demonstrated his faith as he served as a youth pastor and Sunday school teacher for many years. He even played the drums at church, in earlier years, although he may have been looked down upon, by the elders, for his long hair and platform boots! The truth is, Jim had no problem stepping out of his comfort zone for the causes he believed in! When Jim wasn’t at church, at work or out on the lake, he enjoyed gardening, cooking, watching his OU Sooners play football, and participating in his fantasy football league. One of the more recent enjoyments he adored was spending time with his grandchildren, Collin and Kennedy, who lovingly called him, “Pappy”. Collin will certainly remember Pappy’s pancakes and love shared in this special relationship. Jimmy has been described as selfless and willing to help anyone with anything (whether he knew how to or not). He was always happy, found joy in everything, was humble, compassionate, encouraging and always equipped with a ‘dad joke’. Jim Wright will be deeply missed by his family and friends, but they take great comfort in knowing that he is with his Savior and his parents who had gone on before him. He is survived by: his wife of 43 years, Anita; his son: Joshua Wright and wife, Stephanie and their children: Collin and Kennedy; his daughter, Emily Fussell and husband, Jon; siblings: sister, Brenda Burnside and husband, Jerry; sister, Alane Wright; brother, Roger Wright and wife, Tammy. He is also survived by many loving in-laws: Debbie Casey and husband, Mike; Angela Marrs and husband, Scott and Christi Perry and husband, Dewayne along with numerous nieces and nephews that he dearly loved. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations, in memory of Jimmy, be made to either: www.dillonadopt.com or to assist with funeral expenses contact Bixby-South Tulsa Funeral Service. Read More

James Douglas Wright

May 22, 1959 - September 1, 2021