Evelyn Barnett Wright, 97, of Huntsville, Alabama died peacefully on July 29, 2023. She was preceded in death by her husband of 56 years, Dr. Thomas Whitten (“Whit”) Wright, Sr. Evelyn was born in Nashville, the daughter of Ida Belle Sheftall and Clarence Karl Barnett. She attended Stokes Grammar and Peabody Demonstration Schools and graduated cum laude from Vanderbilt University in 1946. There she met her college sweetheart, Whit Wright of Guntersville, Alabama. While he attended Vanderbilt Medical School, Evelyn pursued graduate studies at the Nashville School of Social Work and became a staff caseworker with the Nashville Traveler’s Aid Society. After they married in 1948, Whit completed his medical internship in Indianapolis, where Evelyn became a child welfare worker and later a supervisor.
Whit and Evelyn moved to Huntsville in 1955 where he began his practice in General Surgery and she soon became involved in the work of the Huntsville chapter of the National Association for Mental Health. She served as its president in 1957 and later, as board member for ten years. As the need for other social service programs grew, Evelyn volunteered from 1958 to 1971 with the United Givers Fund as a member of the Admissions and Budget Committee, the Board of Directors, and the Executive Committee.
In the late 1950’s, Evelyn continued her interest in the needs of children by serving on the board of the Grace Center Day Nursery and the Councill Court Day Care, both programs sponsored by the Grace Club.
In 1969, Evelyn became founding president of the Volunteer Bureau of Huntsville, an organization established by the Grace Club, the Grace Club Auxiliary and the Community Council to provide volunteers to local nonprofit agencies in need of their services.
In 1973, Evelyn began to paint and market her own art. In 1979, she opened a small business called “Old Town Gallery” and her paintings and prints were carried by many galleries throughout the South. She once said she was drawn to watercolor because it seemed to her a “living” medium—similar to people. “Watercolor must be listened to and should not be controlled,” she explained, “it must be kept ‘fresh’ to have a life of its own. The same is true in community work—what you strive for is for others to have the vision. Out of that comes new direction and new life which is the contagious quality needed to solve problems and to see possibilities.”
In 2015, Evelyn and her friend, Mary Butler, were presented the Grace Award for having made, through their lifelong community volunteer work, significant contributions to Huntsville and Madison County.
Survivors include four children, Dr. Thomas W. Wright, Jr. (Lindsey), Linda Wright Riley (Ken), William H. Wright, Sarah E. Wright; seven grandchildren, Whit Wright (Ruth), Carson Wright (Elspeth), Elizabeth Pertl (Ben), Cole Wright, Haley Ruffner, Luka Ruffner, and Kate Milligan (Steven).
Visitation will be from 10am to 11am on Saturday, August 5th, at First United Methodist Church, with the service following at 11am. A live-stream of the service will be available at www.huntsvillefirst.org/funerals. The burial at Maple Hill Cemetery will be open to all.
Memorials may be made to a charity of your choice or to the UAH Grace Club Scholarship Fund for Early Childhood Education majors: University of Alabama in Huntsville, Office of Development, SKH Third Floor, 301 Sparkman Drive, Huntsville, AL 35899 or online at https://uah.givingfuel.com/give and type “Grace Club Scholarship” in the Specific Designation box.
