HAMILTON COUNTY

Ms. Juanita “Lyn” Kocincki

Ms. Juanita “Lyn” Smith Kocincki, 63, of Chattanooga, Tenn. went home to her Lord and Savior on September 27, 2023. Lyn was born May 18, 1960, and grew up in Summerville and Trion, Georgia. Lyn graduated from Chattooga High School and then received her Bachelor of Science degree from University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and was an English teacher in the Chattanooga/North Georgia region. She was an exceptional singer and accomplished pianist and musician. Lyn touched many lives and her piano students and families held a very special place in her heart. She will be deeply missed by those who love her. She was preceded in death by her parents, Ed and Barbara Smith, her best friend Rob Lampert, and Christopher Neely, who was like a son to her. Survivors include her daughters; Anna (Travis Miller) Kocincki and Kerri (Dino) Xoinis, both of Chattanooga, Tenn., and their father, Charles Kocincki; one sister; Susan Hopkins of Marietta, Ga.; four brothers; Ken (Mitzi) Smith of Marion, Va., Alan (Patty) Smith, Richie (Marie) Smith, and Jes (Stephanie) Smith, all of Trion, Ga. She is survived by very special aunts, Geri Hughes, Brenda Veatch Haynes, and Charlotte (Michael) Hawkins and several close cousins. She is survived by several nieces and nephews. The true joys of her life were her four grandchildren, Bryson, Brooke, Jackson, and Everett. Funeral services for Ms. Kocincki will

kl d take place at 2 p.m. Tuesday, October 3 at Son Rise Community Church. Interment will follow at West Hill Cemetery with Jackson Neely, Bryson Gowan, Quenten Hopkins, Travis Miller, and Dino Xoinis serving as pallbearers. Visitation will be Tuesday from 12 - 2 p.m. at the church. To share your condolences with the family online, please visit our website at www.masonfuneralhome.com. Arrangements are provided by Mason Funeral Home- Summerville, GA.

Christopher Wright

Christopher Douglas Wright, a beloved son, brother, husband, father, and friend died on September 29th. His charisma, energy, and passion were rooted in Chattanooga but reached far and wide. He was 38.

Christopher cherished his upbringing on Signal Mountain. Following in the footsteps of his father and brother, he attended The Baylor School beginning in 1997. Throughout his tenure at Baylor, he established himself as an exemplar for others of the Baylor mission “Magnanimitas,” or Greatness of Spirit, that the institution promotes. An outsized member of the Baylor community, Christopher was widely known for his expansive athleticism, academic prowess, and magnetic personality amongst his peers, friends, and teachers. His athletic accomplishments, including a state championship in baseball and two-year All-State football honors, left a legacy that inspired countless future

l hl b Baylor athletes. Not to be outdone in the classroom, Chris was a highly accomplished student, excelling academically as a National Honor Society member. A charismatic and supportive leader, he built up all of those around him, which resulted in the selection to the Jim Pearce Leadership Trip, an honor bestowed upon only 22 students.

Chris continued his academic and athletic career at Yale University where he exported his authenticity and Southern charm to the New Haven campus. A consummate gentleman and scholar, he was immediately loved for his sini l cerity among new classmates and friends. A member of Delta Kappa Epsilon, Chris served as Social Chair and built an evergrowing cast of loved ones and admirers. Chris continued his interest in community by serving as a mentor for elementary children in the Bulldog Buddies program. At Yale, he was a four-year letterman and 2006 Ivy League Football Champion.

Chris sought inspiration and lessons from the business community, and his time at RSR Partners was an immediate connection between his aspirations and fellow leaders. Chris propelled his business

d i f b d education after RSR by attending the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. After completing a Master of Business Administration, Wright joined New Capital Partners, a private-equity company in Birmingham, Alabama. A steadfast businessman, he was obsessed with building life-changing businesses.

Emboldened by a desire to leverage his honed business acumen for impact in his hometown, Chris returned to Chattanooga in 2016. He began his first entrepreneurial adventure by diving into a personal passion for solving early childhood development challenges through his company Foci. He served as a management consultant for many Chattanooga industrial businesses advising on transactions and corporate development. That love for engineering, mechanical, and industrial companies—that he saw as the lynchpin of American economy—led Chris to join Alderman Enterprises. As a Principal at Alderman, Wright was an energetic and determined catalyst for their growing number of portfolio companies that employed and inspired the regional business community.

Despite his many athletic accolades and professional accomplishments, his most celebrated and cherished distinctions were that of husband and father. Christopher’s unbridled love for his wife Acacia, sons Declan and Abbott, and newborn daughter Aprilia was beautiful. His boundless energy and enthusiasm for his family was a source of never-ending pride for him.

His younger brother Wells, older brother Greg, father Greg, and mother Janet meant h ld hi the world to Chris. He constantly praised the bond with his brother as a stalwart admirer and passionate fan of everything his brother touched. He adored and sought to emulate the love that radiated from his mother Janet. And he constantly marveled at the principles, strength, and character of his father Greg.

He is survived by his wife Acacia Littrell Wright, sons Declan, 4, Abbott, 2 and daughter Aprilia, 8 weeks, his parents Janet and Greg Wright, brothers Wells Wright (Alex) of Chattanooga, niece Maxwell and nephew August, and Greg Jr. (Lea) and nieces Alexandra and Juliette of St. Louis. They were active within the communities of Lookout Mountain Presbyterian and Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Soddy Daisy.

The family will welcome all to celebrate and remember Christopher’s life during visitation on Tuesday, October 3rd at The Baylor School between 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. at The Baylor Chapel.

Funeral services will be held Wednesday, October 4th at 11 a.m., also at The Baylor Chapel.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to support the future education of his children:

https://www.gofundme.co m/manage/in-support-of-thewright-family-TN

Arrangements are by the North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory, and Florist, 5401 Highway 153, Hixson, TN 37343.

Please share your thoughts and memories at www.chattanooganorthchapel.com

Chattanooga Funeral Home Crematory & Florist 423-698-2541