The world lost a hilarious, kind, and generous human. Alan Edward Wright died of Covid-19 and complications of alcohol use disorder in the Salt Lake City VA hospital on February 10, 2022. His two surviving sisters and his numerous friends will miss him dearly.
Alan was born in Venice, California on April 2, 1957, to Virginia and D. Kent Wright, the middle of 5 children. His mom joked that he should’ve been born a day earlier, as he was constantly making jokes and playing pranks. His family moved back to Utah when Alan was 1, settling in Millcreek and then Holladay. Alan graduated from Skyline High School and then joined the Air Force, serving in Wichita Falls, TX, where he graduated near the top of his class. He then was transferred to Mountain Home, Idaho where he worked as an jet engine mechanic. He had an honorable discharge and moved back to Utah, where he met and married Claudia “Rusty” Clifton in 1981. They moved to Houston, Texas and he worked as an automobile mechanic for 4 years, before his demons took over, and they divorced. He then moved back to Utah, and thanks to the wonderful care of the VA, he had a fulfilling life, working on cars, making people laugh, writing letters to the editor, and attempting to solve the world’s problems. His quick wit and insightfulness was unparalleled.
Alan is preceded in death by his mother, father, and sister Shawna Wright. He is survived by his sisters, Shari Knighton (Calvin Clark) and Tricia Wright; 3 nieces (Rebecca Morgan, Ellen Olson, and Allison Wright) and 3 nephews (David Morgan, Alec Jacobson, and Matthew Olson). His brother Randall Sinclair Wright died 8 days after Alan.
There’s no service planned at this time because of concerns for Covid-19. Once the world returns to normal, we would love to have a celebration of all the lives we’ve lost in the past 2 years. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to the Wounded Warrior Project.
