Richard Leonard Wright died April 14th, 2026, after a sudden illness. Born in Rhode Island on the first of May in 1942, he spent his early childhood in Providence before moving to Connecticut with his family. He was a National Honor Society student at Farmington High School and later attended the University of Connecticut, earning a degree in Mechanical Engineering with high honors.

His interest in aviation was lifelong. As a boy, he marveled at the biplanes crop-dusting the tobacco fields in Connecticut where he worked during the summers. He began taking flying lessons as a teenager. At UConn, he joined the Air Force ROTC program. He already had his pilot’s license by the time he graduated and was commissioned by the US Air Force. He excelled in the rigorous USAF training program. He was selected to fly fighter jets and, distinguishing himself once more, chosen to be an instructor pilot in the iconic T-38 jet trainer.

During college, he had met fellow UConn student and school teacher Donna Kay Korvell. He proposed on a footbridge in a park near her home in Willimantic. They married and had three children, each born at different hospitals in different states — their two sons on airbases in Texas and Georgia, their daughter in the Connecticut hospital where her grandmother worked. Richard served his country with honor and distinction for 25 years, and would continue to fly professionally after leaving the military, working as a pilot for an executive travel company and a regional carrier ferrying passengers to the Maine islands. He was certified in everything from two-seat Cessnas to Hawker private jets to KC-135 Stratotankers — as at home on the busy runways of the biggest airports in the world as on the short, technically- challenging grass airstrips of Matinicus and Vinalhaven.

His other great love was cars. Growing up, he had learned automobile maintenance from his father. Together, they would strip a car down to its engine block and reassemble it. These experiences gifted Richard with an encyclopedic knowledge of automobiles and saw him through innumerable car projects over the years. Hoisting engines from engine compartments on chains. Replacing transmissions. Cleaning carburetors. It was not unusual to look outside on a cold winter night and see Richard lying under a car with a flashlight, investigating some suspicious engine rattle for a family member or friend. More than once, he took parts from his own car to fix someone else’s.

Richard had a brilliant mind for mechanics, was an avid reader, a skilled carpenter, a computer repairman and a part-time beekeeper. He was immensely curious about the world and fascinated by meteorology, having studied it in flight school. His weather predictions were often more reliable than those of local weathermen.

He was a man of quiet dignity and unfailing integrity. A kind, patient father who would call his children outside on a summer night to show them the Northern Lights and then explain the phenomenon, demystifying what was happening and inspiring wonder for the natural world. He would demonstrate refueling maneuvers with a fork at the dinner table. He drew diagrams on napkins. On weekends, he made time to coach Little League baseball. When batting tees were in short supply, he disappeared into his work shed and emerged an hour later with tees he had designed and built himself. They were indestructible. He could fix almost anything and often did, most recently overseeing the ambitious floor-to-roof renovation of the old family barn in Bangor, preserving it for years to come.

While he rarely discussed his accomplishments, some of his proudest moments were his induction into the Mechanical Engineering Honor Society, his time studying with UConn’s legendary professor of mechanical engineering (and top secret consultant on the SR71 Blackbird) Dr William Bowley, and recording the highest score in the F-101 team category at the Air Force’s 1974 William Tell Aerial Gunnery Competition.

A devoted family man, he is survived by his wife of 60 years, Donna; their three children, Rick, Raymond and Leslie; his sisters Nancy Greer and Anita Caulfield and brother-in-law Jim Caulfield; his nephew Chris Caulfield and wife Kristen; his cousin Jack Ferruolo and wife Deb; his son-in-law Tom Dupuis, daughter-in-law Sophie Wright, and five grandchildren: Gretchen and Brenna Wright, Zack and Isobel Wright, and Kate Dupuis. He was predeceased by his first grandson Jacob Dupuis.

Richard was a strong, steady presence in the lives of his loved ones. He was always there and, to the end, fought hard to stay. He will be sadly and forever missed.

A private family memorial service is planned.