Obituary of James Allen Wright

James “Bo” Allen Wright, devoted husband and inspiring father of three, passed away on January 31, 2023 at the age of 67 in Dallas, Texas. Bo was born on June 28, 1955 in Bay City, Michigan, to mother Essie Leech. When he was young, Bo’s family moved to San Antonio, Texas, where Bo would spend most of his life and eventually raise a family of his own. After leaving Edison High School, Bo started working early in order to support his single mother and seven brothers and sisters. He spent a few years in the car business before deciding to build his own general contracting business Wright Wallpaper from the ground up in 1973, which he would own and manage until his retirement in 2013. Bo married his first wife in 1982, with whom he had three children, and he took immense pride in being a good father for them. He spent more than a decade coaching his kids’ baseball teams, and was widely recognized to be one of the best coaches in the league for his dedication on and off the field. Bo would often run into people around town that he had coached in their youth, and he took great joy in the fact that they still remembered his impact in their lives many years later (and that they still called him “coach”). Bo was a hardworking man and a natural caretaker. He was the kind of man who would work a 12 hour day – every day – to provide for his family, only to come home and spend another few hours in the kitchen working on one of his famous home-cooked meals. Bo did not have much, but what little he had, he gave to others. Bo was the type of man who volunteered with disaster relief with the Red Cross after hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and would secretly pay off random strangers' layaway accounts at HEB around Christmas time. The list of people who have benefitted in some small way from Bo’s generosity and kindness would be monumental. Bo would say that the best of his qualities passed on to his children – his appreciation for sportsmanship and adventure, his dedication, and the understanding that love requires hard work as much as it requires devotion and affection. Bo taught his kids to care deeply about things bigger than themselves, and that you should love people with your whole heart, even when it can (and often will) lead to heartbreak. Bo is preceded in death by his wife, Terri Ann Wright. Bo and Terri wed in June of 2016, and they spent a love-filled, devoted, and beautiful 5 years together before Terri’s passing in January of 2021; though their time together was brief, it was a once-in-a-lifetime love and they always treated each moment like it was their last. To Terri – his kids did their best to keep Bo out of your hair for a little while longer, but in the end we think he really just missed you too much. We understand his heartache, and we can’t thank you enough for having made the last few years of our dad’s life some of the happiest. He was by your side when you passed away 2 years ago, and we know that he’s by your side today. Bo’s greatest joy in life was being a father, and he got to spend the last few weeks of his life surrounded by his kids and grandkids, laughing with them and listening to them share their favorite memories with him. Bo is survived by his children: son Eric Wright and his partner Allison DeMars; daughter Sara Palacios and her husband Ricardo Palacios; son Kyle Wright and his fiancée Mickey Lanning; and step-daughter Jennifer Poyner and her husband, Ryan Poyner and their family. He adored his role as a grandfather, and his love for sports lives on in his grandchildren Shawn Wright, Ethan Palacios, and Taylor Palacios. Bo is also survived by his sisters Katherine Vela, Patricia Perry, Mary Underside, and Teresa Cleborne; his brother Michael Wright; and numerous nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his mother Essie Leech Iler, sister Susan Miller, and brother Thomas Wright.