At funeral, Rep. Ron Wright’s career in public service described as a ‘calling from God’
Bishop Michael Olson of the Diocese of Fort Worth described the late Rep. Ron Wright on Saturday as a devout Christian who saw his work as a public servant as a product of his faith.
“Ron came to recognize that his governmental work in Arlington and Tarrant County and in the United States Congress was not simply a noble career in itself, but also a calling from God,” Olson said into a microphone at the beginning of Wright’s funeral Mass in Fort Worth. “His sense of duty was transformed into a sense of discipleship.”
Wright, a 67-year-old Republican congressman, died on Feb. 7 after a battle with COVID-19. Wright, a staunch constitutional conservative and a member of the Freedom Caucus, was the first sitting congressperson to die after contracting the coronavirus. Wright lay in repose on Friday at AT&T Stadium for a viewing open to the public. Hundreds gathered inside the Will Rogers Memorial Center for the funeral.
The funeral attendees, which included prominent Republican leaders like Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price and Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley, sat socially distanced in chairs inside of the ballroom. A black backdrop hung behind the alter.
Price told the Star-Telegram after the funeral she knew Wright for around 22 years, from the time he worked on her first campaign for Tarrant County tax assessor. He took over for her as a Tarrant County tax assessor in 2011 when she ran for mayor.
Wright was an all-around good guy, Price said, who focused on the needs of his constituents and didn’t hide his faith.
“He was a firm Christian — he was the first one to put “In God We Trust” on the envelopes — but he had a really funny sense of humor too,” Price said. “Ron had this quiet, calm sense of humor, and a smile that would kind of creep up on you. I always thought, ‘What’s he up to next?’”
Wright is survived by his wife, Susan, three children, grandchildren and members of his extended family. His wife also caught COVID-19 and spent two weeks in a hospital but was discharged before Ron’s death, Wright’s office has said.
Wright was elected in 2018 to serve the 6th Congressional District, which includes southeast Tarrant County, including most of Arlington and Mansfield, and all of Ellis and Navarro counties. He was also a member of the Arlington City Council from 2000 to 2008.
Some tributes to Wright were posted to social media over the weekend, including a tweet from Arlington police, whose honor guard was at the public viewing at AT&T Stadium. The late congressman “was instrumental in many things in Arlington including establishing Heroes Park,” police said in a tweet.
Whitley said after the ceremony he knew Wright for three decades, and knew his wife Susan for even longer because she helped him with his campaigns. Wright, he said, “was conservative but he always had a true love for Tarrant County and for Texas.”
“We lost a great public servant,” Whitley said. “Whether it was Arlington City Council, whether it was tax assessor collector, whether it was Congress, he always loved public service.”
