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In Memory of Joyce Vanston Wright

Educational First Steps celebrates the life and memory of Joyce Vanston Wright. Joyce Wright was the embodiment of a community treasure. She dedicated her life to the care and concern of children, especially the ones we serve at Educational First Steps. As one of our founders, her vision was to ensure that every child, regardless of their family’s economic circumstances, has access to quality early childhood education. It is because of her dedication that we are who we are as an organization today.

WRIGHT, Joyce 9/29/1928 – 7/24/2024

Joyce Vanston Wright, 95, died in her home at The Tradition Lovers Lane, on July 24, 2024

She lives through the innumerable lives she has touched as friend, wife, mother, aunt, grandmother, teacher, counselor, and community leader. Among the gifts we will continue to cherish are her zest for life, her insatiable curiosity, her interest in others, her integrity, her strong will, and her dedication to providing access to education to all.

She was born Sept 29, 1928 in Smithville, Texas, to Jessie Cate Vanston and Henry Hudson Vanston, whose work with the MKT Railroad took the family back to their home in Denison when she was 2. She was the youngest of 3: her brother Henry Dale was 11 years older and Richard Cate was 8 years older. She was educated in the Denison public schools, enjoying speech and drama and earning a state championship in extemporaneous speaking. She was valedictorian of Denison High’s class of 1945. At Baylor University, she majored in psychology and was president of her sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, then known as Delta Alpha PI. Upon graduation in 1949, she started a 29-year marriage to William Fain Rutherford. As an Air Force wife, she established and maintained homes in Texas, Wyoming, Alaska, Hawaii, and Virginia. In all these places, she was active in community and church activities, from choir to Sunday school teaching and tutoring to vestry.

As her children entered school, she sought out training in the Spaulding Method, taught by Sisters of Notre Dame, who recognized her commitment, creativity and energy and invited her to teach in a Catholic School in Honolulu. (When Joyce explained she was Protestant, the sister superior shrugged, “Well no one’s perfect.”) She thus began a diverse career in education, as reading specialist and teacher at Kindergarten and first grade levels. In 1968 she returned to Baylor to earn her Masters in Counseling Education.

A decade later, having seen both children off to college and after her first marriage ended, she felt called to Texas to be close to family and friends and worked as a counselor in the Richardson and Highland Park school districts.. Soon after, Linus Wright, who also grew up in Denison, became Superintendent of the Dallas Independent School District. Linus and Joyce, who had first known each other in elementary school re-met at her high school reunion, and were soon married, bringing their 2 sets of grown children into a blended family. The Joyce and Linus love story continued for 45 years. They shared values, enthusiasms, very high standards, and boundless energy, which they brought to their local and national work in education, their bridge games, their friendships their extensive travels and care for their family.

Joyce retired from paid employment to join Linus in Washington, DC in his tenure as Under Secretary of Education, and when they returned to Dallas in 1989, she became active in the community, serving on the Board of The Dallas County Adult Literacy Council, and volunteering with New Friends/New Life and Senior Source. She was an officer and active member of the Dallas Women’s Club, the Marianne Scruggs Garden Club, Craigs Class, and the Bard and Ballad book club. She loved singing, dancing, entertaining, and talking about ideas, and enthusiastically attended the Dallas Symphony and Tate Lectures.

In 1991, Joyce, Linus, Sandra Estes, and David Munson (a dear Denison friend since age 3), founded Educational First Steps, a non-profit committed to the education of preschoolers who might otherwise be unprepared for success in school. It has flourished and today serves 8,000 students at 120 centers, all accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Always a spiritual seeker, and a believer in the potential of church community, Joyce was a voracious reader and courageous questioner. Raised a Southern Baptist, she was confirmed in the Episcopal Church in 1962, joined Linus in his attendance at Skillman Church of Christ, and the couple joined Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church in 2011.
She was devoted to a weekly theology study group called the Unending Conversations Group-reading and discussing four books each year in a quest for the meaning of life and how to live in this world with love, meaning, and purpose.

Joyce’s passion was always for those less fortunate than she, and her biggest regret was the she couldn’t do more to create more opportunity for those living in poverty. In large and small ways, she would often say, “If I can make anyone more comfortable, I want to do that.”

She modeled these values for her four children (Paula, Fain, Larry and Lisa) five grandchildren (Erin, Colton, Meghan, Callie, and Will), and eight great grandchildren (Latane, Ellie, Evie, Stella, Connor, Avery, Ashby and Cate). They will miss her greatly and try to carry her generosity forward.

A memorial service will be held at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church, 9800 Preston Road, Dallas, 75230, on August 10 at 11 AM. The family requests that instead of sending flowers, those who wish to express sympathy can make a donation to their favorite charity in Joyce’s name.

Obituary originally published by Dallas Morning News Jul. 28, 2024