Thelma Vera “Thea” Wright Dugan, of Huntsville, passed away on Friday. Thelma’s dad (Alfred McDowell Wright) was in the Army Air Corp stationed in England during WWII where he met her mother (Thelma Vera Ballard). She was born in London, England, on September 18, 1945. They returned to the US when Thelma was two years old.
She met her husband, George, in Miami, Florida during 1976. They married in 1977 just before her husband joined the Army. The next 25 years were spent traveling around the US and Western Europe. During that time Thelma received her Bachelor’s degree in Education from Oswego University in Oswego, New York followed shortly after by her Master’s degree in Early Childhood Special Education from Alabama A&M University in Huntsville, AL. She supervised a Headstart Program in Tennessee while her husband was stationed at Redstone Arsenal. Then moving to an Army posting in Germany she headed up a program for Elementary Special Education in the DODS (Department of Defense Schools). She enjoyed traveling all over Europe as well as the United States. She had a great deal of interest in and enjoyed history, in particular early American and European.
Thelma was preceded in death by her parents; her son, Jason Richard Dugan; and brother, Keith Edward Wright.
Survivors include her husband, George Quimby Dugan, Jr.; children, Wendy Irene Drain and Adam Quimby Dugan, both of Huntsville; brother, Dale Wright and family of Miami, FL; six grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Wednesday at Laughlin Service Funeral Home. The graveside service will follow at 2:30 p.m. at Maple Hill Cemetery with Chaplain Anthony Ford officiating.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to her favorite charity, The Downtown Rescue Mission in Huntsville.
