Centenarian is coming home to Demopolis
After 70 years, Essie Wright is coming home to Demopolis.
Wright, who will celebrate her 100th birthday Sept. 26, will fulfill her dream as matriarch of the Wright/Moore family by taking five generations on a bus tour to narrate the family’s lineage and visit the family’s origins. To mark her centennial, her children are making that dream a reality Saturday, July 17.
Wright was born in Marengo County to Will and Ella Moore, one of five siblings. She started her adult life in Demopolis when she married the late Phillip Wright Sr. in 1941. The couple had eight children, six of whom were born in Demopolis: sons Phillip Jr., Spencer, Charles, Caldwell, Lorenzo, and daughter Johnnie. Twins Bobby and Barbara were born in Nashville, Tenn., where Wright now lives.
Wright’s husband was a carpenter and delivered ice throughout the town. The couple purchased their first property at 403 S. Ash St. and built a home on the lot. The house, later sold to their nephew, the late Will Moore Sr., still stands.
Although now living out of the state, Wright has remained an Alabamian at heart. She often tells her family, “Anything that comes from Alabama is better.”
The bus tour of Wright’s life in Alabama will begin in Tuscaloosa where the five generations of the Wright/Moore family will board for the trip to Demopolis. The bus is expected to arrive at Wright’s former home – escorted by motorcycles – at 11:30 a.m.