Obituaries
Obituary: Lillian Wright, 89, Of Ridgefield, Beloved Teacher
Lillian was a devoted elementary and middle school teacher for the better part of 50 years.
Information and Photo Courtesy Jowdy-Kane Funeral Home
RIDGEFIELD, CT — Lillian Marilyn (Miranda) Wright died peacefully on Dec. 10, 2022, at Laurel Ridge Health Care Center in Ridgefield of complications due to Alzheimer’s disease. She was 89.
Lillian was born in The Bronx, NY, on February 20, 1933, to Amerigo and Carmella (Damiani) Miranda. She graduated from Evander Childs High School in 1950 and the evening program at Hunter College in 1959, with a major in education and a minor in psychology. She earned her M.A. in school psychology from Fairfield University in 1981.
Lillian was a devoted elementary and middle school teacher for the better part of 50 years. She got her first teaching job in 1953 at the age of 20 at Saints Philip and James School in The Bronx, leading a classroom of 60 children. She remained at the school until 1959 while finishing her college degree at night. From 1959 to 1963, she taught third grade at Waltoffer Avenue Elementary School in North Bellmore, NY. She married Frank G. Wright in 1963 before stepping away from teaching to raise a family, settling in Westchester, NY, and eventually New Canaan. She and Frank divorced in 1983.
Lillian returned to teaching in the 1970s, eventually spending 23 years as a special education teacher in the Stamford public schools, where she touched the lives of many grateful students and their families. She was animated by a firm belief in the ability of all of her students to succeed. Their triumphs were among her greatest joys. After retiring from the Stamford district, she continued to teach into her 70s at both the Learning Center at Four Winds Hospital in Katonah, NY, and as a regular substitute in Southbury. Besides being a dedicated teacher, Lillian was a proud Bronx native and Yankees fan, world traveler, and avid professional tennis follower. A lifelong lover of music, she maintained a subscription to the Metropolitan Opera for 30 years, and attended over 30 Elton John concerts in her lifetime, including her last at age 83. Until health challenges interceded, she kept in touch with a wide circle of friends who loved her joy in living, sense of adventure, and boundless energy and determination. Over the years, life dealt her some difficult blows, but she was never defeated.
Lillian is survived by her son, Darryl Wright (Ray Shelton), of Glendale, CA; her daughter, Tracey W. Brady (David Brady), and granddaughter, Ainsley Miranda Brady, all of Ridgefield; her cousins, Richard (Yolanda) Lullo and Deborah Lullo of Long Island; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her beloved companion, Frederick Weems, in 2001 and her sister, Kathryn (Miranda) Gallagher, in 2011.
Family and friends will be received on Sunday, December 18, 2022 from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM at Kane Funeral Home; 25 Catoonah Street, Ridgefield. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, December 19, 2022 at 10:00 AM at Saint Mary’s Church; 55 Catoonah Street, Ridgefield. Interment will follow in Saint Mary’s Cemetery, Ridgefield.
Contributions in Lillian's memory may be made to the Ridgefield Theater Barn.
