Patricia Hayes Wright

Forever in Our Hearts

Patricia Hayes Wright was born in Hollywood, CA on July 3, 1931. She was Born to John W. O’Donnell and Cecilia Mary Hayes O’Donnell. Two weeks later, her parents moved to Portland, Oregon where she spent the rest of her life. Patricia was an only child.

At age 4, Patty attended kindergarten at Fernwood Elementary School. At the age of 5, she attended St. Rose. When she was 13, she worked at the Rotary bakery for 4 years. One year on Mother’s Day, she told the owner she bet she sold 100 of the little specialty cakes they made. The owner said, if she sold 100 of those cakes, she would take Mom out for a special dinner. Mom sold over 100 cakes, and went out to a fancy restaurant where the owner and her friend talked to mom about becoming a nurse, planting seeds for her future.

When she was 17, she graduated from Holy Child Academy and attended Seattle University. At the age of 19, in 1952, she entered the OHSU School of Dentistry. At 20, she married Patrick Mallon. At age 21, she graduated from dental hygiene school. She went on to have 5 children  (Steve, Mike, Kathleen, Jeff & Tim) before being widowed at the very young age of 29.

At 32, she married Bob Wright and had 2 more children, Bobby and Christi.

Patty continued to work as a dental hygienist for 49 years, with the bulk of her career at Drs. Over and Norman in NE Portland. She retired at age 70.

In 2001, Patty moved into Mary’s Woods. She was one of their first residents. She loved living at Mary’s Woods. She took advantage of everything there was to offer: choir, bridge, plays, excursions, church, and fancy dinner with friends.

Patty loved to sing and play the piano. She had a beautiful, angelic voice. She sang in the church choir for decades; she sang at Christmas Mass, local operettas, and in plays at Mary’s Woods. She was talented in cake decorating, baking, sewing, finances, and having children. She was a voracious reader and plant lover. And how she loved a good Irish joke!

Her piece/peace of heaven here on earth was her beach cabin in Tolovana Park. It was her sanctuary, her sanity, her place to recharge before engaging in life again.  In fact, it was all of those things for each of us as well.

She is resting with her husband, Bob Wright in Willamette National Cemetery, and her spirit is with Jesus.

She was preceded in death by her parents,  John W. O’Donnell and Cecilia Hayes O’Donnell, her husbands Patrick Joseph Mallon and Robert George Wright, and her son, Robert Gregory Wright. She is survived by her 6 children, Stephen Wright of Bigfork, MT; Michael Wright of Portland, OR; Kathleen Wright of Clackamas, OR; Jeff Wright of Roseburg, OR; Tim Wright of Alsea, OR;  and Christi Ruby of Kalispell, MT; grandchildren Christopher Wright, Brittney Wright of Portland, Katharyn Wright of Lebanon, OR, Melissa Wright of Gresham, Jeffrey Van Wyhe of Temecula, CA, Daniel Van Wyhe of Vista, CA,  and Joshua Wright of Sandy, OR; great grandchildren Juliet, Bella, Lincoln, Annie, Taelyn, Ozzie, Austin, Yoshani, André, Luca, and her great-great grandchildren Poppy and Nyela.