Ricky Dale Wright was born on December 19, 1948 to Roy and Dorothy (Nygaard) Wright at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Park Rapids, MN. As a boy he grew up on the family farm north of Osage. He attended Osage Elementary School and later went to Park Rapids High School graduating in 1967. He then attended Detroit Lakes Technical School for welding. He did iron works in the cities from 1968 – 1978. He married Joanne Hughes on March 7, 1970 and lived in Crystal, MN. They had two children, Beth, and Roy. After Rick’s snowmobile accident the family moved to Park Rapids in 1978. Rick worked for Itasca Manufacturing and Johnson Construction. In 1987, Rick and Peter Pickett started R & P Repair. He continued this business until 2015. After that time, he had his own hobby shop. Rick’s life was surrounded with work. He enjoyed fixing things and making things.
Rick had diabetes from the age of thirteen. Diabetes was the reason for many health problems throughout his life. Rick had stents in his heart and later had open heart surgery in 2004 to replace a valve. Rick’s kidneys failed and he was on kidney dialysis for 15 months before he had a kidney transplant on July 26, 2014. He also had procedures done on his eyes. Rick had a pacemaker placed in this heart in January of 2022. Despite all of his health challenges he lived a full and productive life.
Rick is survived by his wife, Joanne of Park Rapids; his daughter, Beth (Ron) Hensel of Baxter, MN and son, Roy Wright of Fargo; three grandchildren: Hailey Hensel, Kyle Hensel and Megan Hensel; 3 brothers: Butch (Deb) Wright of Osage, Dennis (Bev) Wright of Osage, James (Brenda) Wright of Park Rapids; 3 sisters: Diane (Lyle) Hildebrandt of Osage, Cheryl (Steven) Schmidt of Verndale, MN, and Jeweleen (Peter) Engstrom of Waconia, MN as well as many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; and one sister and brother-in-law, Sharon, and Tom Eischens. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, February 4, 2023 at Calvary Lutheran Church in Park Rapids with Rev. Stephen Norby officiating. Visitation will be held from 5 to 8 PM on Friday, February 3, 2023 at the Jones-Pearson Funeral Home and will reconvene at the Calvary Lutheran Church beginning one hour prior to the funeral. Burial will be made in the spring at the Lakeside Cemetery.
Arrangements made by the Jones-Pearson Funeral Home in Park Rapids, Minnesota.
