"Dying is a very dull, dreary affair. And my advice to you is to have nothing whatever to do with it."

W. Somerset Maugham

Larry Eugene Wright of NaturalBridge passed away on Dec. 14, 2024.

Larry was the born in Iowa to Darrell Eugene Wright and Marjorie Louise Lair Wright on April 25, 1942 - the eldest of four children.

During high school, his mental and physical abilities were renowned. He excelled in his academic studies and at public speaking. He was on varsity football, a pole vaulter and on the track team.

Larry attended NebraskaUniversity with a pre-med major. He was assistant coach for the University of Nebraska rifle team at a time when they were national champions.

He transferred to LouisianaState University before enlisting in the Army in 1964. After OCS he was commissioned 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Field Artillery.

He served a tour in Vietnam as executive officer of Howitzer Battery, 2nd Squadron, 11 Armored Cavalry. After his Vietnam tour, he was stationed at Fort Knox, Ky., as officer-in-charge of the Vietnam Orientation Committee. He left the army as a 1st lieutenant, Field Artillery. His decorations included Soldier's Medal, Purple Heart and Army Commendation Medal.

The next phase in his life was that of the profession of surveying. He worked for Odom Engineering and was in charge of their offshore oil pipeline surveying in the Gulf of Mexico. For a time he left the U.S. to assist his father with his construction company (road building) in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

After his return to the U.S., he eventually settled in the San Gabriel Valley area of Southern California.

Working for National Engineering, he was part of the development the City of Industry. He became head of the surveying department of Lockman and Associates where he incorporated GPS and other computer technologies into their surveying operations - writing many programs.

He was involved in many types of surveys. Military design and construction for Long Beach Naval Station, Camp Pendleton, Camp Roberts and El Toro Marine Station, geodetic surveys for Jet Propulsion Lab, FT Irwin, and many more. Ultimately he started his own company, Wright Survey Services, before taking an early retirement to pursue other interests.

An important part of Larry's California life was the purchase of a 1,000-square-foot Mediterranean-style villa in Altadena. He and his mentor and close friend, Charles Granville, who was also an army officer, created a sort of bachelor officers quarters that they named Bannershield.

Larry was an intelligent and well read man (a voracious reader with a large library) and had wonderful sense of humor. His interests in history, the military and social and political conditions of the country he fought for, ignited in him a need to make a difference. With his love of books, he embarked upon starting a publishing company, the purpose of which was to publish old and new books that would bring to light upon the virtue and honor of America's founders. Larry saw the true "founders" - not the politicians and lawyers away from the battlefield - but those military men who fought on the battlefield. He started The Academy of Honor Press and first published a long forgotten - once a very popular book - called ''Washington and His Generals" by J. T. Headley. The two volumes contain inspiring biographies of the men who fought and  made possible the forging of a new nation.

He put a good deal of his savings into the endeavor, and redesigned the original editions into a handsome set - adding many images and greatly improving the readability. He then set upon writing a novel embodying his ideals on the virtues of a military class (Yorktown Society) that would put honor and virtue above money - making for a better stronger citizenry and country. Sadly, with his declining health leading to his death put an end to finishing his work.

Larry leaves behind his unfinished work, his brother, Steve Wright; sisters, Elise Grablis and Pat Begrow, two nieces and one nephew and sizable number of great nieces and nephews, and his long time friend and collaborator, "cousin" Bettina McCann Barr.

"Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains to bring it to light. " - George Washington

Arrangements are by Harrison Funeral Home and Crematory.