Renee W. Wright

PERINTON - With her beloved golden retriever, Emily, at her side, retired journalist Renee Wright, 82, died July 2, 2025 at her home in Perinton.

Renee was a woman of many talents who led an extraordinary life of travel, adventure, entrepreneurship, and service. Her circle of close friends and colleagues and her siblings admired her courage and strength as she bravely faced serious health challenges over several years and rose above them, almost daring her illness to defeat her.

Born Renee Anita Wilk in Seattle, she spent her early years there. She went to work for a telephone company and was chosen to represent the utility as a princess on a parade float during the Seattle World’s Fair in 1962. After moving to New York City in her early 20s, Renee was hired as a flight attendant for TWA and flew with the airline for a short time before moving on to Pittsburgh and working as a model. She also studied at the University of Pittsburgh. Relocating to Kansas City KS, she began training as a nurse but didn’t complete the course.

She finally ended up in Rochester with her husband, Bruce Wright, and studied at the University of Rochester, eventually earning a master’s degree. After her divorce, she stayed in Rochester and worked for a time at Xerox Corp., where she filed and won a lawsuit against the company charging that women were not being paid equally to men for equal work. On her own, Renee founded a couple of businesses managing trade shows, exhibits and special events in the Rochester area.

She was hired by the Gannett Rochester Newspapers in an editorial capacity in 1990 and retired as a copy editor in 2012. In a note to coworkers on the day she retired, Renee wrote, "Years ago, my plan was to work at the newspaper for two or three months; now 264 months later, I'm leaving. I've enjoyed working with some very amazing people, wonderful writers. You have all touched my life. So keep in touch.” She planned to eventually return to Seattle but stayed in the Rochester area where she maintained some close friendships and founded one more business, a home-based boarding enterprise she called "a bed and breakfast for golden retrievers and other good pups.” She nurtured dogs there for 10 years. Neighbors saw her daily walking one or more of her beloved goldens - she always had one of her own in addition to the boarders - along the quiet streets of her suburban neighborhood.

Renee was active in two organizations dear to her heart. She was a board member in GRROWLS, Golden Retriever Rescue Operated With Love Statewide, and BCCR, Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester. She was close to people involved in those organizations and to a group of women who went to breakfast together every Wednesday. She also maintained very close  and loving relationships with her siblings, sisters Carolyn Steuer and Normal Rollo, and brother Daniel E. Wilk. 

In 2020, Renee wrote a brief memoir to her siblings that included this observation:  "I can't believe life has gone by so quickly. Every decade, marriage, home, event, is like a new chapter in a book. Each one different, new and exciting. Every one of them I've learned something new….Getting old is more difficult for some than others. I've never been a person to wallow in age, I don't like the mention of age. Everyone ages because... that's life. To me it's a waste of time to dwell on it. Life is to move forward, forget and to learn from the past, and enjoy the future.”

At Renee’s request, there will be no funeral service. Instead, she asked that friends gather at a local park with their dogs and some wine to greet each other, watch the dogs play and remember good times with her. Details will be listed at doserfuneralhome.com.  

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