Farrell Ray Wright

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“Farrell died?! He was the best damn ball player in town!” Yep, Farrell Ray Wright passed away peacefully with his two best girls holding his hands on January 18, 2026. Alzheimer’s disease rapidly ravaged his ability to thrive. Farrell was born on September 11,1947 in Coalville, Utah. He was preceded in death by his father, Ray Wright, his brother, Bob Wright, and his mother, Belva Wright. He is survived by his wife, Lori Wright, his only child, Shellie Healy, his son-in-law, Will Healy, his two grandchildren, Megan In and James Healy, his sister Teresa Pace, and his brother Stuart Wright. 

He grew up in a small town when coal was hauled into basements to heat homes and school lunches were homemade. He spent his days outside playing with his friends, hunting, sleighriding, and being mischievous. He worked at a mink ranch to earn enough money to buy his green Mustang. He loved to do burnouts leaving his house because he knew it would make his dad mad. If he wasn’t at home, he could be found draggin’ mainstreet in his hotrod.

In high school, if he wasn’t playing practical jokes on people, he was performing. He played Luther Billis in the musical, “South Pacific”, sang Beach Boys’ songs with his friends, and played the trombone in the band. He was an All-State quarterback when North Summit won a state title in 1964. It was one of his favorite memories.

Farrell joined the Army National Guard in 1966 and served six years when he was honorably discharged due to a sudden onset of Type 1 Diabetes. Abiding by strict dietary restrictions and multiple daily injections, he was able to live into his late ‘70s with minimal side effects. Diabetes never stopped Farrell from doing anything he wanted to do.

Working for UDOT was a big part of his life. Initially, he was a field surveyor, operating a theodolite and transit used to establish the centerline of freeways. He became an accomplished surveyor first before moving on to plan reviews and highway engineering. He loved the people he worked with and many became life-long friends. 

Farrell and Lori lived in Sandy until 2017 when they moved to Smithfield to be closer to Shellie. He loved to go golfing but cursed with every swing. Farrell loved to waterski, kneeboard and skurf. He was the only one who could get up on that dang Skurfer. Playing cards, watching his Broncos on TV, snacking on sunflower seeds, and listening to music were some of our favorite memories with him. Farrell and Lori enjoyed traveling and sightseeing with their friends which included cruises, outdoor concerts, car shows, hiking and riding 4-wheelers through scenic trails. 

When Farrell first met Lori, he told his friends, “That’s the girl I am going to marry,” and he did. He married the love of his life in the First Methodist Church in Salt Lake City on January 31st 1969. This month would have been their 57th wedding anniversary and in those years he was a devoted husband, father and grandfather who would do anything for his family. Together, their greatest accomplishment was raising a one of a kind daughter.

We’d like to thank Maple Springs’ staff for managing his diabetes so well, gracefully attending to his personal care needs, singing and dancing with him, wrestling with him at night when he wandered in the halls, and for making his friends and relatives feel welcome no matter the time of day. They even allowed Rosie, his dog, to visit him. The staff recognized the love he had for his furry companion so they made sure a stuffed version of Rosie, which he named Rosie 2, was with him night and day. With the addition of Ascend Hospice during his last days, Farrell passed with dignity and love.

The celebration of Farrell’s life will be on Saturday January 24th. There will be a viewing at 12:00 PM with the funeral at 1:00 PM at Cache Valley Mortuary in Hyde Park, Utah. 

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to one of the following charities:

American Diabetes Association at diabetes.org

Alzheimer’s Association at alz.org

Breakthrough T1D at T1D.org (formerly JDRF)