John Wright

WRIGHT, John (Jack) Melbourne, Attorney at Law, age 93, died peacefully with his son Craig at his side on May 5, 2017. He was preceded in death by his wife of 67 years, Elaine M. Wright. He is survived by his three sons: John R. Wright of Hudson, Florida; Gary J. Wright of Cortez, Colorado; and Craig L. Wright of Frankenmuth, Michigan. Also surviving are two grandchildren: Alison Wright Sellman of North Palm Beach, Florida, and Ian Wright of Singapore, Republic of Singapore; and four great grandchildren. Jack met his future wife, Elaine Frost, shortly after graduating from Flint Central High School in 1941. They met on a blind date and he called her "blondie," a term that stuck for the next 70 years. He attended Michigan State University, but put his studies on hold to enroll in the army in 1943. He was deployed with the 104TH Timberwolves infantry division in 1944, which took him to France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. Jack received the Purple Heart for injuries he sustained in action in November 1944, and returned to the States later that year. Jack entered the University of Michigan law school in the Spring of 1945 and married Elaine in October. Upon graduation from law school, Jack joined the Prosecuting Attorney's Office in Genesee County, but soon moved into private practice and began a distinguished 68-year legal career. He was active in many associations and held numerous positions in his career, including: Commissioner of the State Bar of Michigan; past president of the Genesee County Bar Association; a contributing speaker for many years with Michigan and national legal seminars; a long-standing member of Rotary; and a lifelong member and teacher at Flint Central Methodist Church. Many clients will remember him practicing law from the Victorian-era Cornwall Building that he purchased, saved from destruction and lovingly restored for over 40 years. Jack and Elaine moved to Swartz Creek in 1950, where he helped incorporate the city and held Monday-evening office hours to accommodate clients who had trouble making day appointments. He was active in the Swartz Creek Rotary for decades and the Flint Elks Club. One of Jack's great passions was baseball. He participated in over a dozen Tiger Fantasy Camps and threw an honorary opening pitch for the Detroit Tigers. He was a player for 30 years on several Flint ball leagues and founded and managed the Flint "35 and Over" league when he was in his 70s. Elaine would often say she was a baseball widow, but she was always a good sport about attending his games. A private memorial service was held by close family members. Jack is buried alongside Elaine in the Bendle Cemetery on Beecher Road.