Susan Wright

Susan Bellemere Wright, 65, of Terre Haute died at 9:25 a.m., Wednesday, in her residence surrounded by her family after a long battle with cancer. She was a retired first-grade teacher at Sugar Grove Elementary School who influenced countless lives with her love and knowledge and warmth. She was born Feb. 5, 1953, in Evansville, Indiana, to Lucile and William Schultz. Survivors include her husband, Mark Wright; one son, Eric Wright, and his wife, Jenny, of Riley; one daughter, Jennifer Wright, and her boyfriend, Travis Nyswonger, of Oceano, Calif.; two sisters, Kay Enfield and Deborah Thompson; two grandchildren, Nathan Wright and Ella Wright; and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews. Sue was a lifelong and award-winning educator with a love of knowledge, children, nature, sports, music, traveling, reading, food, fun, and conversation. She met the love of her life, Mark, at Wiley High School in 1968. Their first date was a Led Zeppelin concert, the first of hundreds of concerts they would attend. She graduated from Indiana State University in 1975 with a degree in recreation. She was a long-time member of Psi Iota Xi and a volunteer for numerous organizations. Her own children, Eric and Jennifer, were a source of endless pride to her, “the best thing we ever did,” and she cherished her grandchildren, Nathan and Ella. Sue was radiant and hilarious. She would often be seen smiling cheerfully and visiting with friends at her children’s and grandchildren’s sporting events, watching the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, or cheering on her husband’s band and other local musicians at area venues. Sue dedicated a big part of her life to her children, both in and out of the classroom. She was a children’s activities director at a library for years, ran her own daycare, and then worked as a teacher’s aide. She decided to return to school to get her teaching degree, which she acquired from St. Mary’s-of-the-Woods in 2002. She then taught at Fayette, Farrington Grove, and for the last several years at Sugar Grove Elementary School, where she was beloved by students and staff. Perhaps the defining trait of Sue’s personality was that she always put others first.  She continues this selflessness even in death with her desire to have no funeral or memorial service, knowing how sad people are to attend such gatherings. This was a firm desire arrived at after much discussion with family. Among the many volunteer activities she enjoyed, one of the most recent was the Terre Haute Humane Society, where she began walking dogs a few months ago. When her illness made that too physically taxing, she would go out to the shelter and help with laundry, until even that became difficult. She regretted no longer being able to help there, so she decided to request that if people want to honor her, they might make a donation in her name to the Terre Haute Humane Society, 1811 South Fruitridge, PO Box 3307, Terre Haute, Indiana, 47803. Sue Wright brought smiles to many faces every day. She will be missed, but we will carry her in our hearts.

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