Pastor Tom Wright

Pastor Tom R. Wright, 81, of Joy, IL went to be with his Lord and Savior peacefully on Saturday, October 16, 2021 at his home in Joy.  Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, October 21, at First United Methodist Church, Geneseo.  Rev. Dr. Christopher Ritter will officiate.  You may also view the funeral on the church’s Facebook page.  Burial will be in Oakwood Cemetery, Geneseo.  Visitation will be Wednesday from 4 – 7 p.m. at Stackhouse-Moore Funeral & Cremation Services, Geneseo.  A Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, November 20th at 10:00 am. at the Joy United Methodist Church, Joy, IL.  Memorial visitation will be held from 9 to 10 a.m. on November 20th at the Joy Church.  Memorials may be made to the Jail Ministry for Jesus; Joy, New Boston, or Eliza Church; or Geneseo First United Methodist Church.

Thomas Roland Wright was born on August 23, 1940, in Waukesha, WI, the son of Richard and Helen (Smith) Wright.  He graduated from Waukesha High School, attended William and Mary College, and graduated from Carroll College in 1963.  He did graduate work in philosophy at NYU and attended the Semester at Sea.  Tom met his wife, Luanne Nelson, in 10th grade at Waukesha High School and married her on April 15, 1967 in Pewaukee, WI.  She survives.

Tom worked as a stock and commodity broker and had many entrepreneurial endeavors. At 60, he became a local pastor for the Methodist Church and served churches in Viola, Preemption, Laharpe, Durham, Terre Haute, Joy, New Boston, Eliza, Galva, Bishop Hill, Illinois City, and Pine Bluff, Illinois.  He served a church in Acapulco, Mexico, which he did for five years. He authored a book, “Christness.  He was an avid Cubs fan and loved the Green Bay Packers and the Iowa Hawkeyes.  He was instrumental in getting the QC Thunder basketball team to the Quad Cities. Tom’s greatest pleasures were to introduce others to Jesus, and have the children and grandchildren over.

Survivors include his wife, Luanne; four children, Andrea Wright, Iowa City, IA, Brian (Janet) Wright, Dallas, TX, Dawn (Dion) Olson, Grand Mound, IA, and Sarah Wallace (Justin Rocke), Davenport; Quy and Denise Tran Lam who shared their home; six grandchildren, Arilyn Wallace, Austin Wallace, Logan Rocke, Grant Olson, Hope Olson, and Braden Wright; a soon to arrive, great-granddaughter; sister, Florence Hanson, Manitowoc, WI; and sister-in-law, Judy Goll.  He was preceded in death by his parents, brother, John Wright, and brother-in-law, David Hanson.