Mae Elizabeth Wright

Mae Elizabeth Wright left this earth peacefully on Friday, April 24th, 2020. At the age of 95, after a long and wonderful life, she joined her husband Del, son Don, parents, sister, and brothers. Mae, beloved Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Great Grandmother, and lovingly known as Grandma Great, resided in Emmett, Idaho.  Mae, the third of four children, was born on July 7, 1924 near Fulton, Missouri to James & Mary  Shelton who raised her along with her sister and two brothers on a farm which Mae remembered vividly and fondly until the last. Mae met the love of her life, Charles Delbert ‘Del’ Wright and they married on January 30, 1942, residing in Auxvasse, Missouri. In 1943 they welcomed their eldest son, Charles ‘Chuck’ D. Wright, Jr. Phyllis was born in 1945, then Don in 1948, and Ken in 1950. Del discovered Idaho after working on a construction crew helping build the dam in Donnelly, Idaho in the mid 1940’s. Then, in 1957, they made the big move to Nampa, Idaho where they lived happily, raising their family. Del was a mechanic and Mae worked at the Toot & Tell Drive In as well as Dixie’s Ice Cream Shop. Del opened his own business – Del’s Auto Body – and Mae was the bookkeeper.

What Mae treasured most was family and hospitality. She loved cooking big meals for everyone including the neighbors. Often, you could walk into their back yard and a neighbor would be there drinking tea, waiting for others to join. Soon more would come, along with family, and Mae was right there making sure everyone had enough to eat and drink. She thrived on her family which grew considerably over the years and the two of them made friends everywhere they went.  When Del and Mae retired, they became camp hosts at Buttercup Camp in Donnelly, Idaho, making friends, many for life, and sharing their gift of hospitality. They loved fishing and camping and then heading to Arizona in the winter where they made many more friends. In 2004, they moved to John Day, Oregon and happily spent time with family and friends. The move to Emmett came in 2007 where they lived at Serenity (now Meadowview) Retirement Center. As always, they made friends with all and were beloved by the staff. Mae’s husband Del passed away in 2010, son Don in 2015, and sons-in-law Leon Westhusin in 1990, and Dennis Johnson in 2012.  Mae is survived by her son Chuck (Marge) Wright, daughter Phyllis Westhusin, daughter-in-law Fleda (Wright) Bennie, eight grandchildren: Margaret (Russ) Bowling, Shannon (Ernie) Hahn, Michael ‘Todd’ (Susan) Wright, Trent (Jaimie) Wright, Tim (Kim) Westhusin, Darryn (TJ) Wright, Shelly (Chris) Gardner, Dan (Shauna) Wright. She is also survived by 22 great-grandchildren, and 8 great-great grandchildren. Mae was preceded in death by her parents, James & Mary Shelton, brothers Louis & Joe Shelton, and her sister Helen.  A memorial service will be  held at Potters Funeral Chapel in Emmett, Idaho on Monday, April 27th, 2020 at 1:00 pm. Internment will follow at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens in Caldwell.

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