Obituary of Daniel Wrigley

Funeral services for Dan Wrigley, age 57, will be conducted at 10:00 a.m., Friday, September 2, 2011 at First Baptist Church. Interment will follow at Shooks Chapel Cemetery with Rex Heiny, Jim Biggerstaff, Tony Flippin, Hank Y’Barbo, Robert Cook, Marc Lambino, Jerry Riley, and MarK Rorie serving as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers will be Peggy and Pete Holmes, Doug Small, Don Brumley, Rick Allison, John Stowater, and Dustin Marsh. Visitation will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Thursday, September 1, 2011 at West Oaks Funeral Home. Dan died August 30, 2011, at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas, from injuries sustained in a vehicle/pedestrian accident while he was out for his morning walk with his beloved dog, Cuttie. Dan was born November 2, 1953, to Thayne and Charlotte (Davenport) Wrigley, in Searcy, Arkansas, and was raised on the family farm in Hickory Plains. He met Rachel Lynch when her church choir sang at his church and married her a few short years later. In 1980, Dan, Rachel and one-year-old Shaunna moved to Sulphur Springs, and spent several years working dairies side-by-side with Vera Harrington before striking out on their own in the dairy business. Through good times and bad, Dan proved that hard work, innovation, and an unshakeable faith in God would carry the family through. Dan was an actively involved father to Shaunna, Dusty, and Deven, instilling strong wills, perseverance, and powerful work ethics in them all. He was a firm believer that you learn by doing, whether that meant figuring out on your own how to get the tractor un-stuck or the four-wheeler turned back upright. He often promised his girls that no glass ceilings would ever hold them back, with the promise that “if you love what you do, you’ll never ‘work’ a day in your life.” Dan started Dairy Supply Service in 1994, earning “Salesman of the Year” in his first year, building a customer/friend base who respected and trusted his judgment implicitly, and providing service day or night, rain or shine, to the northeast Texas dairy community. One of Dan’s greatest joys was refereeing youth ball, including football, softball, and basketball. He was an active member of the Commerce chapter of Texas Association of Sports Officials and the scheduling secretary for East Texas area PeeWee football. He was well-known for teaching the youth (and the parents) of the area the value of respect, sportsmanship, and fair play. The true light of Dan’s life came in two very small packages, Jaden Marie and Ava Rose. No one who came within speaking distance could escape his stories of how smart, beautiful, active, and fun his grandbabies were. He often spoke of how he felt sorry for all the other grandparents who didn’t have the most beautiful granddaughters in the world. The girls will always be head-over-heels for their G-pa. Dan was a well-known storyteller, with a lust for life and “forever learning.” His motto was, “You cannot do wrong by treating people right.” Dan has been the rock of stability to Rachel, his children and grandchildren, and the community for many years. He will be sorely missed. He is survived by his wife, Rachel; his children Shaunna and Chad Buck, Dusty Wrigley, and Deven Wrigley; grandchildren Jaden Buck and Ava Hall; mother Charlotte Wrigley; siblings Deborah Carpenter, Chuck and Julie Wrigley, Kathy and Beau Thompson, and Steve and Kristin Wrigley; as well as countless cousins, nieces, nephews, aunts, and uncles. He is preceded in death by his son Wade Wrigley and his father Thayne Wrigley. Arrangements are under the direction of West Oaks Funeral Home. www.westoaksfuneralhome.com