Steven L. Wright
December 17, 2009
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Service Details
Dr. Steven Lance Wright, 48, passed away on Thursday, December 17, 2009. Steven was born on August 22, 1961, to Richard and Lorraine Wright. He graduated from the University of Northern Iowa and Kansas State University. While in graduate school he met his wife, San Wong, and they had 19 wonderful years together.
Most of Steven’s career was spent at Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., as a Research Scientist. He enjoyed playing and collecting guitars; and he was a devoted husband and father.
Steven is survived by his beloved wife, San Wong; his twin sons, Dayton and Jordan; mother, Lorraine Wright; sister, Denise (Alan) Herron; nieces, Nichole (Alberto) Contreras, Stephanie Herron, Molly Jo Herron; and great-nephew, Alex Contreras. He was preceded in death by his father and brother, Jeffrey.
Services will be on Tuesday, December 22, 2009, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Hamilton’s on Westown Parkway, 3601 Westown Parkway, West Des Moines, IA.
Condolences may be made at www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com.
Lisa Stock
01/04/2010
San -- I just heard the news. I am so very sorry. I remember your sweet story of meeting you tall, handsome husband in Kansas. It breaks my heart for your little boys. Please let me know if there is anything I can do. lisastock@msn.com
Pramod Mahajan
12/23/2009
Dear San,
I am so very saddened to hear of Steves passing. My sincere condolences are with you and the family. Steve was a brilliant scientist and a wonderful human being. I fondly remember the time we spent together as colleagues. He will always be remembered for his contributions to his profession and most of all, to his family. May you have the strength and courage to bear this loss!
Please take care of yourself and the boys.
Sincerely,
Pramod Mahajan
Namrata Pradhan
12/22/2009
Dear San
I am deeply saddened with your loss of your husband. I have known you as a
very strong person with a warm heart and may god bless you and your family for all the strength and support you need in your life.
Bill Ng
12/22/2009
Hi San,
Please accept my condolences for Dr steven departure. It is a heartbreaking to lose the father and beloved husband of the family. It is a very difficult time. Please Take care of yourself.
Paulette Krumpelman
12/22/2009
My deepest sympathy to San, Dayton & Jordan and extended Wright family. Steve has been a great colleague to interact with over the years at Pioneer. He will be missed by many. My thoughts & prayers are with you during this difficult time of loss.
Paulette Krumpelman
James Janni
12/22/2009
I was deeply saddened to hear the news of Steve's passing. I greatly appreciate Steve's brilliance and encouragement as a manager and coworker. There are so many technologies here at Pioneer that had their origin in his creative mind. Those technologies have given many including me the opportunity to work in exciting new areas.
More important than these accomplishments though were the smiles he shared when he talked about San, Dayton and Jordan. No one could doubt his admiration for San when he shared weekend plans with her or even when his phone rang and he knew it was her. I always looked forward to meetings near time off when Steve would relax and talk about the plans that he had with the boys. As we spent less time working directly together, he still found time to tell of his boys accomplishments. He most recently told me about peering into a snow cave Dayton and Jordan built in the front yard with the neighborhood kids. He shared a laugh at how many of the other kids had been pulled from their own driveway duty to build.
If we miss him for his work effort with us or on our behalf and for the proud glimpses he gave of his family, we can not imagine your loss. My family's prayers are offered for new blessings and healing.
With deepest sympathy,
James Janni
Nahum Gat
12/22/2009
I have known Steve for a few years, supporting his research at Pioneer with a new technology from my company in California. During that time, while being far from Iowa, we became friends. Steve and I had long discussions on chemometrics, algorithms, and instrumentation. He was proud to show me on a couple of visits to Pioneer his research activities. He had the vision to embrace new technology and was not afraid of it. He had a clear goal of where the technology could lead his research and support Pioneer's future business. He would often call to discuss and to learn more about the new technology. I learned a lot form these conversation -- specifically, what it takes, and Steve's meticulous work, to implement this new technology in a new field.
He always talked about his wife and kids and was extremely proud of his children activities and used to show me pictures of them. He would often say he had leave early to participate in some activities with his children.
Steve will be remembered as a good friend, brilliant scientists, and dedicated family man.
My condolences to the family that I never met, but I feel like I have known.
Nahum Gat, Ph.D., PE
President
Opto-Knowledge Systems, Inc. (OKSI)
Torrance, CA
Nancy & Larry Strickler
12/22/2009
We are shocked there has been another loss in your family! So hard to believe. Our best to you, Lorraine, and to Steve's wife and family. Lorraine I don't know what to say that could possibly make you and Denise feel better, but please know you have been in my thoughts every day.
Ciel Friess
12/22/2009
San,
Our thoughts and prayers are with you, the boys and the rest of the family.
Sincerely,
Ciel Friess
Andre Weinstock
12/22/2009
Dear San, Dayton and Jordan
My thoughts and prayers go out to you upon learning of Steves sudden and unexpected passing. I am sorry that I cannot be in Iowa today in person to extend my condolences personally.
I very clearly remember meeting Steve for the first time. It was on the deck on the MacCarthy convention center in Chicago at PITTCON in March of 2004. It was a slightly overcast day and all of endless Lake Michigan had this gray-aqua glow that cast over the entire lobby. Typical of Steve, he had his huge beaming smile and bounding, gregarious hand shake. Earlier in the day, I had shrugged off what I had seen as a printed description of a post-doctoral position in Iowa Who would want to live in Iowa? I thought. This turned out to be a discovery post-doctoral position that Steve had just gained funding for at Pioneer. An hour after meeting Steve in person, being in his prescence, and talking with him excitedly about the science he was doing, my entire perspective had changed to How can I get to Iowa?!.
Five months later I had moved into an apartment in downtown Des Moines and was reporting to the spectroscopy lab in Johnston. Steve had given me a very enviable task: put his ideas into action. This was pure science. And fun! He would brainstorm hypotheses and I would work out the constructs in the lab to determine if they could actually be done or not in application. Over a period of two years, one patent, and several papers later, Steves ideas were a functioning, optimized reality. I was very lucky to have been a part of this process and the experience was critical to the achievement of my current career trajectory. I very much owe my scientific standing to him and his mentorship.
The only thing I know Steve considered more important than good science, was being a great father and husband. It now breaks my heart for your sakes to think of how easily our conversations would lapse to how proud he was of his boys and their accomplishments. In a day when many of our fathers are emotionless figures, Steve was not afraid to say that the three of you were the most loved part of his life.
I extend my heartfelt sympathy and condolences to you. Steve will be missed by all of us for his scientific contributions, musical ability, love of life, and mentorship.
Sincerely,
André
B. André Weinstock, PhD
Senior Scientist V
TransForm Pharmaceuticals Inc.
A Johnson & Johnson Company
Lexington, MA 02421 USA
aweinsto@its.jnj.com
andre.weinstock@me.com
work: +1 (781) 674-7934
mobile: +1 (515) 556-0699
Nancy Foster (DMACC)
12/22/2009
San,
Please accept my sincerest symphathy for your great loss.
May God comfort you in your time of need.
Brian Wagner
12/22/2009
San,Dayton,Jordan and family
I have been friends with Steve a long time, and I owe a lot of who I am to him. He turned me on to great music like U2 and REM in the big hair spandex era of the 80's. We also began teaching ourselves guitars during that same time. We would often play together showing each other what we learned. Music was always a big part of our friendship. The last time I was with Steve we played guitars together and with other friends. I will not be able to pick up my guitar without thinking of him. I am so sorry for his loss. Anyone who knew Steve knows he had a great sense of humor, so I want to end this with a little inside joke... "did you always have glasses?..."
Jon and Kaye Downer
12/22/2009
Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this sad time,sending Love and sympathy from Larrys neighbors near Lamont. We always enjoy seeing Jordan and Dayton when they visit Grandma Lorraine and Larry.
Joan Strentz
12/22/2009
San, Dayton and Jordan,
We are shocked and saddened to hear of Steve's sudden death. He always seemed to enjoy being with the boys outside. We know he will be missed by all of you. Let us know if we can be of help since we live next door. Thoughts and prayers are with you. Joan and Herb Strentz
Pamela J. Parker
12/22/2009
Dearest San,
My prayers are with you and your sons. As I read Steven's Obituary, I found myself wishing that I had gotten to meet him. He sounds like he was a special husband, dad and friend.
Please know that I want to help in any way. Don't hesitate to ask.
Respectfully,
Pamela