COVID-19 claims the life of longtime Sonora dermatologist
Sonora dermatologist Dr. Gary L. Wright’s final interaction with his four sons was through the video-chat app Facetime from a hospital bed at Adventist Health Sonora on Dec. 3, one day before losing his battle to COVID-19.
Jason Wright, 49, of Modesto, said his 78-year-old father was hooked up to a breathing machine and unable to speak, but blew him and his brothers a kiss.
“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life,” Jason Wright said. “It was basically just me screaming and telling him how much we love him and that he needed to fight. He gave us the thumbs up and gave us the kiss, so he knew we were there and I think he knew we were saying goodbye.”
Dr. Gary L. Wright was the only dermatologist in Tuolumne County for many years after moving to Sonora and starting his practice in the early 1980s. His mother, Ruby Crandall, grew up in the township of Tuolumne and graduated from Summerville Union High School in 1933.
The last time Jason Wright saw his father in person was about three weeks ago during a weekly visit to have lunch with him at the Peppery on Mono Way, where Dr. Gary L. Wright ate lunch on a nearly daily basis.
Jason Wright said his father suffered from underlying health issues involving his heart and kidneys, but his death from COVID-19 still came as a shock to his family and employees at his dermatology practice because he remained “sharp as a tack” and was still performing surgeries before coming down with the virus.
“I was expecting to have at least 15 to 20 more years with my dad,” Jason Wright said. “The whole family was devastated, we didn’t know what to think. He was expecting to walk out of there, but the damage had already been done.”
Dr. Gary L. Wright became ill with something about a month ago and got tested at the urging of his other son, Joey Wright, but the results were negative for COVID-19.
Joey Wright said his father was getting better and tested negative for the virus again about two weeks ago when he was taken by ambulance to Adventist Health Sonora for a pinched sciatic nerve that rendered him unable to walk on his own, but he came down
with a bad cough about two days after getting released from the hospital.
“I was checking on him everyday to see how he was doing,” he said. “On the third day, I found out the ambulance came back out and had to take him in. It was probably about three or four days, after coming out of the hospital for his hip.”
Dr. Gary L. Wright was admitted to the hospital for the second time one or two days before his 78th birthday on Nov. 29, but this time he tested positive for COVID-19.
Joey Wright said his father fought for nine days before ultimately succumbing to the virus. He was told by a doctor that the damage to his father’s lungs before checking back into the hospital was irreversible and required him to be on breathing support.
“When he first went in, he was texting on his phone and talking back and forth to us,” Joey Wright said. “He would call on the phone in the morning, then it started getting worse and worse and worse.”
On Dec. 2, Joey Wright was able to visit his father in person for the last time and had to be fully decked out in personal protective gear that included an N95 mask, face shield, gloves and smock.
Joey Wright said the nurses at the hospital were “like angels,” and one held his father’s hand in his final moments.
“That’s the other sick part of this damn disease is people are dying alone with no one there,” he said. Joey Wright said one thing he hopes people take away from his father’s story is to get their loved ones tested immediately if they start showing symptoms.
“If you feel like you can’t breathe, especially if you’re older or have comorbidities, you better get in the hospital right away,” Joey Wright said. “Everyday you spend not treating it, you’re losing lung tissue that you’ll never get back.”
Dr. Gary L. Wright graduated from medical school, but his sons described him as a “cowboy first and foremost.”
He owned a ranch in Sonora where he bred racing quarter horses, including one named Game Patriot that he sold in 1988, which went on to become one of the winningest in American history and raked in more than $20 million over the course of its career.
“He would say, ‘I let that one get away,’ ” Joey Wright said.
Joey Wright said his father started medical school in Guadalajara, Mexico, before graduating from the University of Texas in Galveston. He completed his residency at University of Oklahoma and moved with his family back to Modesto, where he and his first wife were both raised.
Dr. Gary L. Wright moved to Sonora and started his practice after he and his wife divorced. One of his employees, Teri Smith, has worked with him since he opened his office in Sonora until his death and was described by his sons as “his rock” and his “right hand.”
Many people would recognize him when they were out in public because he was the only dermatologist in town for many years, Joey Wright said.
“We used to call him the mayor. Everybody knew him,” Joey Wright said.
Dr. Gary L. Wright is survived by his brother, Lane Wright, of Boise, Idaho; his sons Joey Wright, Jason Wright, Josh Wright, 49, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and Adam Avilla Wright, 38, of Redwood City. A graveside service is scheduled for 1 p.m. Monday at Carters Cemetery in Tuolumne. Terzich and Wilson Funeral Home is handling arrangements.