Northampton, MA – John E. “Jack” Wright passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, May 16, 2026, surrounded by his family.
Jack was a “Cooley Baby” and lifelong Northampton resident, born on March 18, 1937. He graduated from Northampton High School in 1954, and the College of the Holy Cross in 1958 with a B.A. in English. He also earned an M.A. in English from Westfield State and then an M.Ed. and Ed.D. in counseling at UMass.
During the Cuban Missile Crisis Jack served as a Lieutenant in the US Navy aboard the USS Saratoga.
He devoted his professional life to education and counseling, touching countless lives. He taught English at Holyoke High School, Northampton High School, SASSI Prep, and the Holyoke Street School. After he left teaching, he oversaw programs at the Hampshire County Community Action Commission and the Neighborhood Youth Corps. He also worked at the Massachusetts Department of Education before transitioning into his counseling career.
As a mental health counselor, Jack worked with clients at Crossroads Community Growth Center, River Valley Counseling Center, MSPCC, and at the Counseling Center at Westfield State. He worked into his 70s combining his educational and counseling skills working with children at Dover School in Vermont.
As a young man, Jack was an avid golfer and skier, who skied competitively on his high school and college teams. He pitched for the Goodwood Softball Team and made friendships there that lasted fifty years. He was a lifelong Red Sox fan, an excellent cook, gardener, camper, and bird watcher. He loved the ocean and continued body surfing and boogie boarding into his 80s, especially at Misquamicut State Beach and Coast Guard Beach on Cape Cod. He loved challenging crossword and Sudoku puzzles. A lifelong reader, he enjoyed poetry and literature. He was a passionate supporter of political, social and environmental justice and an enthusiastic world traveler. Jack retained his sense of humor to the end, delighting family and friends with his wit.
He was predeceased by his father, Edward John Wright; his mother, Mary Ellen (Faulkner) Wright; his sister Marilyn A. Drabek, her husband Bernard J. Drabek; his sister Kathleen E. O’Connell, her husband James T. O’Connell; and his nephew Michael G. O’Connell.
He is survived by his beloved wife, Susan Garrett; his son, Timothy J. Wright and daughter-in-law Lyne Laliberté; his daughter, Kimberly J. Wright and Sara J. (Read) Wright, his children’s mother; his grandchildren Raeann (Nathan), Samantha, Samuel and Harrison, and his great grandchildren Leland and Luna. He was predeceased by his step grandson, Jeffrey M. Robert (Laliberté).
He is also survived by his nephew Edward Drabek (Sharon Dunn), niece Mary O’Connell (Jeffrey Karl); brother-in-law John Garrett (Emily); nephews Michael Garrett (Lauren), Jack Garrett (Kelly), niece Liz Russell (Nate) and numerous great nephews and nieces: Drew Drabek (Sara), Harrison, Isabel, Leah Brown (Dan), Kaya O’Connell (Paige), Elijah, Avery O’Connell, Zachary O’Connell, Emily O’Connell, Owen, Kellen and Fiona Garrett.
He also leaves behind his beloved kitty, Tilly, who slept, purring, beside him until his death.
There will be a private burial at the family’s discretion. A celebration of life will be scheduled for this fall; a notification will appear in the Daily Hampshire Gazette. The family suggests that memorial contributions be made to Cooley Dickinson Hospice, Easthampton Community Center, Northampton Survival Center.
Please go to Czelusniakfuneralhome.com for online condolences and tribute book.
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