William "Bill" Wright

A live stream of the funeral service will be available at the bottom of the obituary.

William David Wright (Bill), 88, a life-long inventor, died at home after a long, wonderful life. He was born on August 11, 1935 in Des Moines, Iowa to Dr. Doyce Weston and Veva Madeline (Norris) Wright. Bill grew up in Adel, Iowa, where his dad was a dentist for over 50 years.

Bill was involved in helping to start what is now SonRise Baptist Church in Adel, which started in his parents’ home. Bill believed in the Lord Jesus Christ for his salvation as a teenager, and his relationship with his Savior governed the rest of his life.

Having survived a storied childhood with his two brothers, Bill graduated high school. He then attended Iowa State University, graduated from Coyne Electrical School (Chicago), and attended Moody Bible Institute (Chicago).

After schooling, he returned to Adel and briefly worked for Goodyear repairing appliances. While back in Adel, he met his sweetheart, Joan Orr, an Adel teacher from Albia, Iowa. Bill and Joan were married May 29, 1959, and lived in Marion, Iowa. Bill and Joan were blessed with three children: James, John, and Jane.

Bill worked for Rockwell Collins, helping to produce radios that were used in the space program. He then worked at Iowa Power and Light. In 1979, Bill & Joan moved to Swisher, Iowa. Around the same time, they started their own business, operating Wright Appliance Service out of their home for nearly 30 years. Bill installed, serviced, and repaired appliances, enjoying the day-to-day interactions with people.

Bill faithfully served with his family at Blair Ridge Baptist Church in Cedar Rapids for many decades. In 2017, Bill and Joan moved to the addition they had built onto their daughter’s home in Des Moines. He enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, working on his inventions, and sharing Jesus with others until his death.

Bill is survived by Joan, his wife of almost 65 years; his children, James (Debbie) Wright of Largo, Florida, John (Donna) Wright of St. Cloud, Minnesota, and Jane (Kevin) Subra of Des Moines, Iowa. He enjoyed knowing and speaking often of his 21 grandchildren (Ethan, Kathryn, David, Shari, Benjamin, Dawn, Esther, Hannah, Nathan, Deborah, Elisabeth, Carissa, Susanna, Joshua, Stephen, Abigail, Mary, Makari, Daniel, Joseph, and Samuel); and his 33 great-grandchildren. Bill is also survived by his younger brother Tom (Susan) Wright of Elkhart, Indiana, as well as nieces and nephews. Bill was preceded in death by his parents, his older brother, Jon, and Jon’s wife Barbara.

Even above inventing, Bill’s passion was sharing the gospel – the good news of Jesus, who died for the sins of the world and rose again, providing salvation to all who will believe in Him.

Funeral service for Bill will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, February 10, 2024 at Maranatha Baptist Church in Grimes with family greeting friends one hour prior beginning at 10:00 a.m. Burial will take place in the Oakdale Cemetery in Adel. Online condolences may be expressed to the family at www.caldwellparrish.com. Memorials may be given to SonRise Baptist Church, Adel, Iowa or Maranatha Baptist Church, Grimes, Iowa.