Norman Edward Wright

Norman Edward Wright — 1925-2025

A U.S. Army veteran of World War II, early computer pioneer, faithful Latter-day Saint, teacher of youth, husband of 70 years, father of seven, outdoorsman, inveterate reader, amateur historian, faculty member at Brigham Young University, mentor and friend to all — these are some of the things that describe Norman Edward Wright, who died peacefully in Payson, Utah, on April 12, 2025, at the age of 99.

He was born on Oct. 17, 1925, in Pleasant Grove, Utah, to Clifford LeRoy Wright and Oral Louisa Wadley. His father was a frugal businessman in the depths of the Great Depression, managing the Pleasant Grove Canning Company’s operations. Clifford was elected Utah County Auditor and was greatly admired by Norman, the youngest of three brothers (the elder ones being Gordon and Kenneth Wright). He also had a younger sister, Beverly.

As a boy, Norman worked in the Pleasant Grove cannery, which packaged tomato products, peaches, and other high-quality produce that was sold throughout the West. He had vivid memories of cleaning the large kettles and watching men work the conveyor belts — men his father chose from desperate crowds of the unemployed during the hardest times.

Norman learned the value of work early, as well as the value of helping others, led by the example of his father. He delivered the Deseret News to 120 customers daily at one point and, for his excellent subscription sales, won a trip to the Golden Gate International Exposition (World’s Fair) in San Francisco in 1939. He was devastated by the death of his father the previous year, but he persevered with the help of other adult role models, earning the rank of Eagle Scout at age 14, finishing his preparatory schooling with honors, and graduating from high school with $900 in the bank.

When war came in 1941, Norman’s brothers joined the military; he continued his studies in junior high and at Pleasant Grove High School. He was on the tennis team and served as drum major of the band, among other things, including a term as class president. He graduated as valedictorian in 1943 and subsequently enlisted in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, where he was trained as a high-speed Morse code radio operator, rising to the rank of Tech Sergeant 4. He was about to be shipped out for combat in Europe when the war there ended, and the Army turned his unit toward the Pacific Theater. He would receive amphibious training in northern California in preparation for an attack on Japan’s home islands. But when the atomic bombs fell, all the guns were silenced. Norman was honorably discharged in 1946.

After a brief term at BYU, he was called as a missionary to the Northwestern States Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In a quirk of fate, or perhaps heavenly guidance, he encountered the family of a particular young girl who, unbeknownst to him, would become his wife years later. Raphael Clement, the father of that girl, was a Utah native (Fairview, Sanpete County) and was serving as the stake patriarch of the newly formed Richland Washington Stake.

When Norman finished his mission, he returned to Utah Valley, where he graduated with a BS in mathematics from Brigham Young University in 1951. He and a few other graduates were then recruited by the General Electric company to work in support of the Hanford nuclear reactor facility near Richland — part of the Manhattan Project — on the banks of the Columbia River. Norman was assigned to a department that would develop applications for some of the world’s first electronic computers — an assignment that would define the arc of the rest of his life.

But first things first: He spent a lot of time in the home of the stake patriarch and noticed the young woman, the patriarch’s daughter, Barbara Eleane Clement. She set her sights on the outgoing young man from Pleasant Grove and won his heart with the help of a loaf of bread that she had baked for him. Love pushed him onto a new track, and he eventually proposed marriage — in the stake president’s office, Barbara noted later. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple of the LDS Church on April 22, 1952.

Then the children came, and church callings expanded. First to be born was Peggy Lynne, then Randall Edward, followed by Kevin Eugene, David Wendell, and Elaine Kaye. During this time, Norman served as an early morning seminary teacher, as stake clerk, and in other church callings. He loved teaching about the Book of Mormon, which he had begun to study in depth while in the Army. He also served as a member of his ward’s bishopric for three years before moving back to Utah at the invitation of BYU in 1963. The school sought him out because of his computer experience at G.E.

Norman’s first task at BYU was to assist with the development of a computerized course registration system for students. When that job was completed successfully, he was invited to join the faculty and taught programming languages and systems analysis for nearly three decades until his retirement in 1993. He taught tens of thousands of students and was one of the specialists who helped lay the foundation for the dominance of modern computing. At first, there were large “mainframe” computers, but one day, Norman brought home a strange-looking little tan box with a viewing screen that he said represented the future. His eyes twinkled as he predicted that there would be a computer in every home and on office desktops. That little box was called a Macintosh, and Norman’s prophecy came true.

His family expanded in the beautiful home he built on Oak Lane, east of BYU. Daughter Amy joined the family in 1965, and finally, Bryan Kelsey rounded out the tribe in 1969. Norman made a daily habit of walking briskly down the hill from home to his office and then back up again, sometimes twice a day. Everybody later thought this might explain his longevity. He had strength of heart both literally and figuratively.

In fact, one could imagine that Norman counted the steps because of his interest in distance calculation. He was fascinated by the story of Mormon pioneers Orson Pratt and William Clayton, who worked up a wooden odometer with multiple gears that attached to a wagon box and was driven by the wagon’s wheel. That device was used by Mormon leaders to produce and sell an emigrant’s guide to the overland trail between Winter Quarters (Omaha, Nebraska) and the Salt Lake Valley. Remnants of a wooden gear device had shown up in the LDS Church’s Museum on Temple Square in Salt Lake City and was thought to be the original pioneer odometer. Norman proved mathematically that this device was not the original, and he built his own model based primarily on the journal entries of Pratt and Clayton. Moreover, he undertook an extensive study of odometers stretching back thousands of years. Some of the devices available in America’s early days, for example, were fine brass instruments almost as refined as a clock. The wooden Mormon version was less so, but effective, and Norman loved it.

The odometer project was a source of pride for Norman, and he gave many lectures and published on the subject, including one talk given in 1997 on the Mormon Trail during the sesquicentennial celebration of the Mormons’ epic trek to Utah.

Norman’s lifelong affiliation with the Boy Scouts of America gave him the ability to bless the lives of countless young men through his example. He was beloved as a scoutmaster for decades and was recognized with high honors, including the Silver Beaver award for his life of service.

After his retirement from BYU, Norman stayed True Blue. He loved to watch football games on TV virtually up until the week he died. He also accepted various callings as a temple worker over the years. And he aged enviably well. He followed the footsteps of his great-grandfather when he hiked to the summit of Mount Timpanogos at age 84 with two of his sons.

His later years were a testament to his faith and character as he gradually mellowed to become the most admirable of human beings, a gentleman defined by bright hope and happiness. He was truly a friend to all and loved by all who knew him. He wanted to live to be 100 and nearly got there. He was in his 100th year of life in 2025. He is now reunited with his beloved “Bobbie” and his forbears, including his father, whom he had long yearned to meet again.

He is survived by his seven children and their spouses/partners — Peggy Wright Slifka (Michael Slifka), Randall Wright, Kevin Wright, David Wright (Cathy Stevens Wright), Elaine Wright Paulsen, Amy Wright Ranahan (Mike Ranahan) and Bryan Wright (Maria Fernanda Luna) as well as dozens of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

A public viewing will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, April 25, at Wheeler-Sundberg Funeral Home, 495 S. State Street, Orem, Utah 84058. Flowers may be sent to the mortuary.

Funeral services will be at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 26, in the LDS Oak Hills Stake Center near the Provo Temple site — 925 E. North Temple Drive, Provo, Utah 84604, with a viewing held that morning from 9:30-10:30 a.m. at the church prior to the service. Grave dedication and burial will then take place at the Pleasant Grove City Cemetery, 500 N. 100 E. in Pleasant Grove, a 20-minute drive north. The dedication and interment will begin at 2:30 p.m.

Condolences may be expressed to the family on this page.