Anthony "Tony" J Wright

Funeral service for Anthony "Tony" J. Wright, 67 of Lawton will be at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 23, 2017 at First Baptist East, Lawton, Oklahoma with Rev. Juan F. Rodriquez and Rev. Brian E. Buettner officiating. 

Mr. Wright passed away on Saturday, February 18, 2017 in Lawton.

Arrangements are under the direction of Lawton Ritter Gray Funeral Home. 

There will be a special viewing and visitation for family and friends on Wednesday, February 22, 2017 from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the funeral home. 

As a child, Tony attended St Mary’s Catholic School in Lawton, Oklahoma. At 13 years old, he started working at his dad’s business, Sleepy’s Amusement, which he eventually took over and operated for the rest of his life. In 1968, he graduated from Lawton High School, and then two years later, in May of 1970, he married Romalda “Punkin” Delgadillo. They had two sons, Chad and Keith.  

Tony had an appreciation for classic cars, often attending car shows and watching the Barrett-Jackson Auctions on TV. He shared his enjoyment of cars with his entire family, regularly taking his wife and sons to the races or cruising to Wayne’s Drive Inn for a Pepsi Freeze. Tony was also an avid motorcycle rider and could be found roaring down the road on his Harley Davidson with his family and riding buddies. 

Tony wasn’t always on the go, though, and also looked forward to spending time at home, relaxing or working in the garden. His bright red tomatoes and other homegrown vegetables made their way into the kitchen, where Tony was known for being an outstanding cook who could make an impressive meal out of next-to-nothing. One of Tony’s signature dishes was his Hot Corn, which he was always asked to bring any time there was a family function. As he set the pot of corn down on the counter with the other dishes, he would give a short tip on how the recipe had turned out, either letting everyone know that the corn was “not too spicy” or more often, warning that the peppers were “pretty damn hot this time.”

Throughout his life, Tony owned numerous Chevrolet trucks, all of them bright red. There is little doubt that he never paid full price, as he enjoyed bargaining and was always looking to “make a deal.” His friendly nature and genuine smile often helped him convince a seller to let their item go for less than they had originally planned.

Just a few weeks ago, Tony reflected that “Everybody lives life in their own way.” Tony did just that, with a light-hearted, fun-loving approach that was readily apparent to adults and children alike. Any time there were young kids around, Tony could be counted on to act goofy and get them laughing. He especially loved entertaining his grandkids, Sydney and Chase. 

Throughout his life, Tony handled the most difficult situations with optimism, and this didn’t change, even after he found out that he would not recover from his recently diagnosed illness. In his final days, Tony didn’t complain. Instead, as throughout his life, he was focused on the well-being of his family. Tony lived an example of something he often told his sons, “If you’re gonna do it, do it right.”

Tony is survived by his loving family to include his wife, Punkin, of the home; two sons and a daughter in law, Chad Anthony Wright and Melisa Torres, of Lawton and Keith Aaron Wright, of Lawton; his brother, Nick Wright, of Lawton; two sisters, Karen Dean, of Oklahoma City and Wendy Tatroult, of Lawton; grandchildren, Sydney Rae Wright and Chase Aaron Wright; aunts and uncles; nieces and nephews; his granddogs, Sugar and Taffy; and a host of other family members and friends.  

He was preceded in death by his parents, James Thomas and Iris Joyce (Helm) Wright; half brother, Mervin Lehmann; nephew, Keegan Wright; paternal grandparents, James Thomas, Sr. and Maggie Wright; maternal grandparents, Hugh and Eleanor Helm; brother in law, Jimmy Dean; mother in law and father in law, Leonard and Beatrice Delgadillo.  

Tony’s family would like to send a special thank you to Integris Baptist Medical Center and ProCure Cancer Center, and Faith Hospice for their assistance.      

 Service Information