St. Benilde’s Deacon Wright, 80

Deacon Clifford Sidney Wright, a permanent deacon of the Archdiocese of New Orleans since 1987 who served for many years at St. Benilde Parish in Metairie, died Aug. 31 at the age of 80.

Deacon Wright served as an accounting professor at Xavier University of Louisiana for 53 years. He also was a certified public accountant for 45 years. In addition to his dedication to his teaching profession, he served the sick, the elderly and the poor.

Deacon Wright’s father, Samuel, died in WWII during the Normandy invasion. He and his mother Winifred lived in New Orleans until she remarried Paul LaRoccca Sr., who was a father figure for the rest of his life.

Deacon Wright and his wife, Jane T. Wright, had three children: Mark Wright (Kimberly), Chris Wright (Jana) and the late Erin Wright. They had seven grandchildren: Elizabeth, Katharine, Margaret, Graham, Mary Clare, Grayson and John Paul Wright.

Deacon Wright was the brother of Paul LaRocca Jr. and Mary L. Pratt.

Deacon Wright graduated from De La Salle High School and the University of New Orleans, where he earned B.A. in marketing. He received a master’s in business administration from Loyola University New Orleans.

Deacon Wright was noted for his countless acts of kindness, such as putting persons in need on his weekly call list. He used his financial expertise to serve St. Benilde and the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

He and his wife gracefully bore the loss of their only daughter, Erin, before she was 30, providing an incredible example of faith to family, friends and the community. He visited Erin’s crypt every Saturday, making friends with employees and everyone visiting the mausoleum.

A Funeral Mass was celebrated Sept. 9 at St. Benilde Church, followed by interment at Hope Mausoleum. In lieu of flowers, the family requested donations to the St. Benilde Capital Campaign (www.stbenilde.org)