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Otis L. "Les" Wright, 93, a resident of Albuquerque since 1946, died quietly on the morning of June 4, 2006, at The Montebello. He left this earth at peace, knowing that his heavenly reward awaited him. Les was born on May 31, 1913, the eldest child of Alvin Luther and Willie Lee Derryberry Wright, on a farm near the west Tennessee hamlet of Chewalla. Soon after, his family moved to a home in nearby Pocahontas, TN, where he grew up and was the catcher on the town baseball team. Les was valedictorian of his class at Middleton High School. With a talent for electronics and a knack for radio, Les went to work in this field. After high school, he worked as an engineer for a radio station in Muscle Shoals, AL. However, he longed to attend college and finally got that opportunity in his early 20s by working at the college radio station in exchange for tuition. At John Brown University in Siloam Springs, AR, he earned a degree in Electrical Engineering and met his wife, Eva Beatrice "Bea" Tranbarger. Les served in the Navy during WWII, including a stint in Los Alamos at the height of the Manhattan Project. After the war, he hired on with Sandia Corporation and moved his family to Albuquerque. Les was raised in the Church of Christ, but in Albuquerque he was a longtime, devoted member of the Sandia Base Protestant Chapel. There, he served as Sunday School superintendent, taught an adult Sunday School class and sang in the choir. In his retirement from Sandia Corporation, Les taught several subjects at Albuquerque Technical-Vocational Institute during his 10 years on the faculty. He later attended Heights Baptist Church on Lomas and Del Norte Baptist Church on Montgomery. In 2000, Les moved out of the family home in the Northeast Heights and into The Montebello on Academy. There, he became much loved for his gentle nature and ready smile. Les was a lifetime member of the American Radio Relay League and held the amateur license W5GIL for many years. Les was preceded in death by his wife, Bea, in 1992. His is survived by his sons, David, and wife, Sylvia, of Lakewood, CO, Dan, and wife, Jane, Rick and wife, Barbara Madaras, all of Albuquerque; and two grandsons, Paul and Andrew Wright of Lakewood. Services will be held Thursday, June 8, 2006 at 11:00 a.m. at French Mortuary, University Blvd. Chapel, with Pastor Alan Hawkins officiating. Interment will follow at Sunset Memorial Park, 924 Menaul Blvd. NE. Friends may visit French Mortuary Wednesday, June 7, 2006 from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. and one hour prior to the Services on Thursday. French Mortuary 1111 University Blvd. NE 843-6333
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