Agnes “Gladys” Wright, passed away peacefully on Oct. 1 at the age of 99 — 28 days shy of her 100th birthday. Known as Gladys to most, Sito to many and Ima Sito to her great grandchildren — Gladys gives the term “tiny but mighty” a whole new meaning and was the heart of her family. Her spirit was filled with love and sweetness and her giggle was infectious.
Gladys was born on Oct. 29, 1922, in Brooklyn, New York, to Kalil and Hadecca Ackaway. She married the love of her life, Merrill Wright, in 1949 and together they raised three children in Amesbury, Massachusetts. After losing Merrill in 1990, she moved into her daughter’s home where she lived until September 2022.
Her joy of cooking, a good mystery show, and Hallmark holiday movies are loves she shared with her family. It was not late fall without Hallmark holiday movies playing on repeat or Christmas without her making homemade baklawa. Gladys was an amazing cook, celebrating her Lebanese heritage through her cooking, however, her favorite food remained hot dogs right through the end. This love may have stemmed from her time as a child in the late ’30s, helping her mom run the family’s hot dog stand in New Jersey.
As a young woman, Gladys worked at a defense plant in New Jersey inspecting condensers until the end of World War II. She later spent 25 years working at the Amesbury Nursing and Retirement Home.
Gladys devoted her life to her family and is survived by her children: Dianne de Silva and husband Lionel of Kennebunk; Paul Wright and wife Sebastiana of Amesbury; and Linda Blakemore and husband Ken (deceased) of Merrimac, Massachusetts. Grandchildren: Joseph de Silva and wife Kathleen of Windham, Maine; Lionel de Silva of Merrimac; Paul Wright, Jr. and fiancée Bethany of Danville, New Hampshire; and George Wright and wife Stella of Epping, New Hampshire. Great-grandchildren: Gabrielle and Juliette de Silva and Peyton Wright.
She was predeceased by her parents and three siblings: Joseph (husband of Elizabeth) Ackaway, Selma (wife of Sherman) Peckham, and George (husband of Anne) Ackaway.
A private celebration of her life will be held on Oct. 29 in Wells, which will be followed by a private graveside service on Oct. 30 at Union Cemetery in Amesbury.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Gosnell Memorial Hospice House in Scarborough Maine: https://www.hospiceofsouthernmaine.org/.
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