Ernest Wright

Ernest Linwood Wright III passed away September 29, 2021, at the age of 85. The son of Olive and Ernest Wright, Jr., he was born on November 11, 1935, and grew up in Ruffin, NC. He is survived by his beloved wife of 65 years Peggy Brannock Wright; their son Nelson and daughter-in-law Suzie, of Rock Hill, SC; and son Phillip and daughter-in-law Cathy of Ruffin, NC. After graduation from Duke University in 1956 with a BS degree in Chemistry, Linwood joined Dan River Mills, and moved through a variety of leadership positions including vice president of research and development, president of Dan River Service Corporation, corporate vice president of product development, until retiring with 48 years of service. He was involved in numerous textile-related organizations, and was the holder of two U.S. patents. His passion for textile manufacturing was equaled by his deep commitment and love of the Danville region, where he devoted himself to community and public service. He was a Danville City Council member from 1986-1998, including terms as vice mayor and mayor. He helped found numerous non-profit organizations and supported many as a volunteer and Board member, including Danville Association for the Arts and Humanities, Danville Concert Association, Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History. He was instrumental in many economic development initiatives, serving as Chairman of the Board for the Future of the Piedmont Committee and the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research. Linwood will be remembered for his compassion, quick wit and contagious laughter. He often quipped that his greatest failure in life was retiring, and in fact, his retirement from Dan River was short-lived. After a short period of time, he was happily back at work consulting to Danville’s Economic Development department, where he continued his efforts to help bring jobs to the region for 13 years, until his recent decline in health. He was an active member of Mount Vernon United Methodist Church, where he taught the Landis Sunday School class for decades. A memorial service will be held 2:00 pm on Saturday, October 16, 2021 at Mount Vernon United Methodist Church. The family requests memorials be made to Mount Vernon UMC or to the Linwood & Peggy Wright Downtown Revitalization Fund of the Community Foundation of the Dan River Region, 541 Loyal Street, Danville, VA 24541 or www.cfdrr.org. The family appreciates the support and assistance from Townes Funeral Home in making arrangements to carry out Linwood’s wish that his body be donated to Duke University for medical research.