James “Jim” Lloyd Wright was born on August 26, 1930 in Lethbridge at the Galt Hospital. He was the fifth of John’s and Agnes’ ten children.

He spent his early years in the city. Then in 1946, the large Wright family moved to their farm on the North Broxburn road. After he finished school, Jim worked for General Construction. One of this company’s big projects was decommissioning the P.O.W. camp east of the city, which provided him invaluable carpentry experience.

When Jim was twenty, he joined the Canadian Armed Forces to fight in the Korean War. With hard work and initiative, he quickly rose to the rank of sergeant with the assignment of driving a munitions truck. He shared many stories of his time in Korea including having to park his truck a safe distance away from the main unit whenever they stopped, particularly at night. Prior to Jim shipping out to Korea, he enjoyed going to dances at McNally School. It was there that he met and subsequently started dating Betty Webb. They fell in love and were married in the summer of 1953. They had three children, Deb, Barb, and John. Sadly, Betty passed away at the age of 36, leaving him a widower with three young children.

In October 1956, Jim went to work at the Lethbridge Provincial Gaol, which is now known as the Correctional Centre. He became the Assistant Farm Manager and later was promoted to the position of Assistant Deputy Warden. He had many colourful anecdotes from his 30 plus years there. Jim retired from Corrections in June 1987, but continued to work for several more years driving a Handibus. He was also a valued and longstanding member of the Lethbridge Legion as well as a dedicated Board member of the Lethbridge Hurricanes hockey team.

Jim and Julie were married in 1970 and had two children, Jimmy, and Kelly. The family moved from the house by the Correctional Centre to the North side of Lethbridge in 1979. One of Jim’s and Julie’s summer pastimes was to take their motorhome and go to a favourite fishing spot where family would join them. For longer trips they would often be accompanied by his sister, Agnes and her husband Bill, along with Jim’s brother, Francis, and his wife, Elaine. On one memorable occasion, they all gathered in Jim’s and Julie’s motorhome to trek down to Arizona to visit sister, Dorothy and her husband, Alec, at their winter retreat. Another special trip occurred in 2008 when Jim, Julie, and other Legion members returned to South Korea, where they were given tours and gratefully hosted. Jim and Julie were also members of the Southern Alberta Antique & Classic Auto Club. They had fun taking the ’55 blue and white four door Chevy to Show and Shine events. Additionally, they enjoyed spending time gardening. Jim was tremendously appreciated for his generous, selfless support, including his help with countless vehicle maintenance and construction projects. If you were fortunate to live next to him, you would wake up on a winter morning to see that your sidewalk had already been shovelled. Neighbours, friends, and family benefited greatly from his ongoing assistance, even in his later years.

Jim was devoted to his family and will be lovingly remembered by: his daughter, Deb Karrah, granddaughter Jamie (late husband Justin), great-grandchildren Sydney, Raiden, Calder, and Devin, grandson Brett; his daughter, Barb Godsalve (Terry); son, John (Darlene) Wright, grandson Ryan (Farzana and daughter, Prema), granddaughter Richelle; son James (Jimmy) Wright and grandchildren Eden and Logan; Kelly (Craig) Russell, grandchildren Preston and Danica. Jim is also survived by his youngest sister, Dianna Pedersen, as well as a large extended family. Sadly, he was predeceased by his wife, Julie, on December 17, 2022. Jim passed away in his home on February 9, 2023, at the age of 92. He was an extraordinary, honourable man who lived life well. He had a remarkable sense of duty, unwavering integrity, and exceptional perseverance. Jim will be deeply missed by those who knew and loved him.

A Funeral Service will be held at CORNERSTONE FUNERAL HOME, 2825 – 32 Street South, Lethbridge, AB, on Saturday, February 25, 2023 at 9:00 A.M. The Funeral Service will be live-streamed and may be viewed through James’ obituary on the Cornerstone website.

Following the Funeral Service, James will be laid to rest in Archmount Cemetery.

 

To send a condolence, please visit www.cornerstonefuneralhome.com

• Date : 2023-02-09
• Location : Alberta