Surrounded by music her whole life, Marsha J. Wright never considered another path. She honed her skills in high school, where she sang in a barbershop quartet and played in the band, and then at college, where she earned both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Science in music education from Fort Wayne Bible College and Ball State University, respectively. Ms. Wright hoped to combine her talents with her dedication to her church, so she also became a licensed ministerial through The Missionary Church.
The first stop on Ms. Wright’s professional journey was Fort Wayne Community Schools, where she served as a junior high music teacher from 1970 to 1976. She became the minister of music at the Grabill Missionary Church in 1975, and she stayed in the position until her retirement in 2013. She really liked seeing the response she got from others in the congregation. She also enjoyed being able to use her work to inspire others to read the Bible.
One of Ms. Wright’s other passions is flying. Her mother was a famous pilot known for racing around the world two times and across the country 51 times. Ms. Wright’s mother was also one of the first female military pilots. She taught Ms. Wright how to fly, and they often flew with and against each other in races. Ms. Wright published her mother’s story in the book, “Maggie Ray: World War II Air Force Pilot.” Her mother’s story was also included in a chapter of Tom Brokaw’s book, “The Greatest Generation.”