Harlene Wright, age 78, a resident of Shell Lake, went to be with Jesus at their family tree farm on Sunday, December 31, 2023, surrounded by her loving family.

Harlene was born on February 20, 1945, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to parents Harley and Irene (Hughes) Gagnon.

As a child, the family moved to the Spooner area where she would later graduate from Spooner High School. During High School, she was head of the Girls Athletic Association and was also a Cheerleader. During her senior year of High School, she was united in marriage to Richard Wright on January 17, 1963 in Buffalo, MN. The couple then moved to the Superior/Duluth area where she attended Cosmetology school in Duluth and Richard attended UW Superior. Two years later, the couple moved to Eau Claire when Richard transferred to UW Eau Claire to further his education. They lived and raised their family in the Eau Claire area until 2005, when Richard retired and the couple moved to their lake home on Shell Lake that they had purchased some years before. Because of their lake home, Harlene became known as “Grandma Wright on the beach” by her great-grandchildren. Harlene taught herself to play the piano. Her love of music led her to teach music class in school and lead worship for many years. She was a lifelong student of the Word and shared her knowledge with all who would hear. She taught Bible classes at the churches that they attended and in small groups in their home alongside Richard. She and Richard served the Lord all their lives as faithful servants. She was a rock to her friends and family when it came to guidance and support from her faith.

Harlene is survived by her husband Richard “Dick”, children: Jeffrey (Dawn) Wright, Gina (Jeff) Osberg, Judy Gatewood, 7 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren, and brother Charles Gagnon.

Harlene is preceded in death by her parents Harley and Irene Gagnon, her sister Judy and her son in law Terry Gatewood.

A Celebration of Harlene’s life will be held on Saturday, January 13th, at Cornerstone Christian Church in Spooner, visitation at 10am, service at 11am with lunch to follow. Interment will be held at a later date this spring at the Spooner Cemetery.

Last Update: Jan 06, 2024 6:02 pm CST