Obituaries

Dorothy Sue Wright

Photo of Dorothy Sue Wright
Dorothy (Dottie) Sue Goodwin Wright was born November 14, 1936, in Oxford, Mississippi, and died January 14, 2014 in Searcy, Arkansas, at the age of 77 years and two months. She was preceded in death by the following: her mother, Fleeta Sue Smith Goodwin, who died when Dottie was only four years old; her father, Carl B. Goodwin; three stepmothers: Elizabeth Marable Goodwin, Bernice Goyne Goodwin and Mittie Lee Alexander Goodwin; her daughter, Susan Patricia Allison and son-in-law Darrin Allison, who were involved in a fatal automobile accident in 1985. Dottie is survived by her husband of 54 1/2 years, Dr. Winfred Wright of Searcy; two daughters: Sharon Mondich (Clark) of Juneau, Alaska, and Sandra (Sandi) Haustein (David) of Louisville, Kentucky; three granddaughters: Kourtney Allison Free (Mason) of Coppell, Texas; Lindsey Mondich Leder (Daniel) of Juneau, Alaska, and Monica Mondich of Juneau; three grandsons: Caden, Chase and Chandler Haustein of Louisville, Kentucky; and one great grandson, Kason Free of Coppell, Texas. Soon after her father's first remarriage, he accepted a job in France and enrolled Dottie in Harding Academy at the beginning of her sophomore year of high school. When she graduated in 1954, she joined her parents in Nancy, France, for one year before enrolling in Harding College. Two years later, she rejoined her parents, this time in Paris, where she studied French language and culture at the Sorbonne University. Rather than returning to Harding after her studies in Paris, Dottie enrolled in Abilene Christian College where she received credits for her French studies enabling her to graduate with a major in French and a minor in English. In the summer of 1959 Dottie was married to Winfred Wright who was serving as a missionary in Liege, Belgium. She and her husband later moved to Toulouse, France, where they served four years as missionaries. During those years, Dottie obtained a doctorate in French studies at the University of Toulouse. In 1966, they returned to Harding College where Winfred began the French program and was later named chairman of a newly established Department of Modern Foreign Languages. Dottie soon began teaching courses in French and English, part time while rearing her girls and later full time until her retirement in 2000. A loved and respected teacher, she twice received the "Distinguished Teacher Award." Dottie was also a talented writer. While at Abilene Christian College, she won first place in a statewide, student poetry writing contest. She has a collection of unpublished poems. While in France, she regularly published articles for women in "Vie et Verite," a French Christian journal. She also wrote several articles for "Christian Woman Magazine" on the role of women in missions and published monthly lesson plans for ladies' Bible classes. Through the years, she also taught Ladies Bible Classes and spoke at women's retreats in the United States and France. For many years, she helped teach the "three year olds" at the College Church where she also served many roles as the wife of an elder and a homemaker known for her hospitality. A visitation is scheduled at Roller-Daniel Funeral Home for Friday, January 17 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. The funeral will be Saturday morning, January 18, at 10 a.m. at the College Church of Christ where she was a member for 48 years. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Dottie's honor to Harding University and earmarked for the "Dorothy Wright French Student Scholarship Fund." For online guestbook, www.rollerfuneralhomes.com.

Published January 18, 2014

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