The Killingworth Ambulance Association lost more than a trusted business associate with the recent passing of Dorothy Wright. It lost a friend.
But it wasn’t alone. The town of Killingworth lost an extraordinary resident, too.
When Wright died earlier this month, she left behind a litany of townspeople with memories of a remarkable woman who treasured family and friends and loved to entertain, cook, garden, travel and work.
Yes, work.
“She was a pioneering business woman,” said family friend John Byrne, Wright’s neighbor.
Almost from the moment she and her late husband, Harold, moved to Killingworth in 1963, Dorothy Wright was involved in anything to do with business. She was a self-starter who became a company treasurer. She was a chief financial officer for two companies. She negotiated contracts. She balanced books. She had her own financial services firm where she handled payrolls and company tax sheets. And she helped found the Killingworth Chamber of Commerce.
“She was one of the original treasurers,” said Tim Gannon, who co-founded the Chamber with Wright three decades ago. “She kept a tight rein on the budget so that everything was in line where it was needed. She kept everything on a steady course.”
She served a similar function with the KAA, where she was a paid contractor who oversaw the organization’s payroll. Nobody is sure how long she was there. KAA treasurer Leota Lanoue estimated it was at least 15 years but said it could have been closer to 20. Whatever it was, she said, Wright was the only one who served that role.
Ever.
“She never wanted to retire,” said her daughter, Lynn Wright.
But serving the community was only one of many facets of Dorothy Wright’s life. Family and friends were important to her, with Dorothy – or “Dottie,” as she was called – hosting neighborhood get-togethers. A mother of two who raised a daughter (Lynn) and son (Eliot), Wright was what Byrne called “a five-star chef who was never afraid to try anything new” and known for throwing lavish dinner parties and “epic” Christmas gatherings.
“She made the most delicious meals ever,” said her daughter. “We’d call them ‘Dorothy Wright meals.’ “
When she went out, it was to tend to her whimsical gardens or dine at local restaurants like Café Allegre, Rocky’s Aqua and La Foresta. Gardening was a passion, and it fascinated her. She worked at it tirelessly and achieved such dramatic results that Byrne called her “a master gardener,” never afraid to experiment with plantings.
“You’d look to the left, then look to the right,” he said, “and she had something different at every spot.”
When she ventured outside the area, Dorothy Wright went big. She and her husband enjoyed traveling the world, visiting an estimated 25 countries – with France, Turkey, Russia, Spain and Greece among their stops. They even rode the Orient Express.
“She was a strong, independent woman who lived life to the fullest,” said Lynn Wright. “She wanted to go see people, talk to people and have interesting things to do. She never was one to sit. She always wanted to be active.”
Wright was valued by the KAA, where she was hired after one of its board members recommended her. She was in charge of everything from distributing payroll checks to figuring taxes to circulating 1099 forms to outsiders who performed services for the KAA. And she was so efficient that, once hired, she was never replaced.
“She was a pleasure to work with,” said chief of service Mike Haaga, “and a wonderful woman.”
The feeling must have been mutual. Dorothy Wright and her family requested that, in lieu of flowers, all memorial donations in her name be made to the Killingworth Ambulance Association.
“We chose it,” said Eliot Wright, “because it should be Killingworth based, and we couldn’t think of a better organization that she cared about. It was connected to her work, so it just seemed fitting.”