Obituaries

Cecil L. Wright, 89, of North Chesterfield, Virginia, formerly of Williamsburg, Chesapeake, and Newport News, Virginia, passed away on May 18, 2025. He was born in Newport News, Virginia, on October 25,1935, to Mabel and Lantie Wright.

Cecil graduated from Newport News High School in 1954. He was a team captain, a two-time All-State Basketball player, and played on a State Championship team. He scored 40 points in a game and averaged over 21 points per game in 1954, both school records at the time. He was also an outstanding baseball player at Newport News High School and the American Legion Post 25.
He attended Elon College, now Elon University, on a basketball scholarship and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration. He also completed the Public Utility Executive School at the University of Michigan.

Cecil spent 37 years with Virginia Power and Virginia Natural Gas, where he held high-level management positions in Community and Government Affairs, Accounting, and Human Resources. He retired in 1995 as Vice President, Human Resources and Administrative Services at Virginia Natural Gas.

Throughout his career, he held key offices in a variety of community organizations, including the Chamber of Commerce, United Way, Chesapeake Industrial Development Authority, Volunteer Hampton Roads, and the Rotary Club.

His greatest joy was his wife, Mona, and their family. He was a devoted husband and a loving father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He was known as Papa to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren and supported them in every way possible throughout his life. Nothing gave him more pleasure than family gatherings for birthdays and holidays. After retirement, he spent many winters in Clearwater, Florida, where he enjoyed afternoons at Spring Training baseball games. He was an avid reader of books pertaining to history, politics, and sports. Cecil followed sports throughout his life and in retirement, enjoyed attending Elon and William and Mary athletic events. He was a lifelong New York Yankee fan.

He is survived by his loving wife of 68 years, Mona Webb Wright of North Chesterfield, Virginia; his daughter, Sharon Wright Frese (Roger), of Vanceboro, North Carolina; his son, Todd Wright (Emily), of Richmond, Virginia; five grandchildren: Morgan Hart (Anthony) of Chesapeake, Virginia; Lindsay Lane (Alex) of Chesapeake, Virginia; Emanuel Gray Wright of Richmond, Virginia; Jakob Moser (Kiersten) and Olivia Parrott (David) of Richmond, Virginia; and five great-grandchildren: Ty, Emma, and Kate Hart of Chesapeake, Virginia, and Audrey and Harper Lane of Chesapeake, Virginia.

A graveside service will be held on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at 3 p.m. in the Mausoleum at Peninsula Memorial Park, Newport News, Virginia. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations in his memory be sent to Elon University, 100 Campus Drive, Elon, NC 27244, or your favorite charity.