July 21, 1930 – September 19, 2020
information provided by Schroeder-Lauer Funeral Home
Charlene Francis Wright, 90, of Lansing, IL, formerly of Chicago’s East Side, passed away peacefully more than six weeks after suffering a massive stroke. She is survived by her children (4) Michael (Dawn) Wright, Cathy Wright, Richard Wright, and Laurie (John) Matthews, her grandchildren (7) Brian Wright, Lisa Wright, Christopher Heck, Tiffany Wright, Teresa Wright, Samuel Wright, and Matthew D. Matthews, her great-grandchildren (4) Zoella, Abel, Dean, and Emilia, and several nieces and nephews. Ms. Wright was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Martha Sebahar, her husband, John E. Wright, Sr., her sons, Terrence Wright and John Wright, Jr., and her sisters Martha, Dolores, and Flossie.
Funeral services for Ms. Wright will be held on Friday, September 25, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. at the Schroeder-Lauer Funeral Home, 3227 Ridge Road, Lansing, IL. Friends are invited to visit with Charlene’s family prior to the service from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
After raising her six children with her husband John (“Ed”), Charlene entered the work force, first as a selfless volunteer with various organizations before embarking on a decades-long career in customer service in the retail industry. Ever energetic, she loved to travel, visiting nearly every state via tour groups as well as spending time with her out-of-state children during holidays and special occasions. And when she wasn’t oil painting, cross-country skiing or attending live theater with friends and family, she tended to her immaculately-maintained home, of which she took a great deal of pride.
But her signature pastime was without a doubt her daily walks, becoming a familiar face over the years in her neighborhood and beyond with residents new and old. Only extreme weather prevented her from getting her exercise, although not always. “The body was made for motion!” and “use it or lose it!” were her battle cries. In a sense, she was the glue that held the community together, a dependable fixture in an evolving landscape whose presence will be missed by friends and strangers alike.
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