Joseph Wright, beloved husband, father
Joseph Wright, 67, of Rehoboth Beach, passed away Friday, July 18, 2025, from complications following a battle with T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia. Joe was born in 1958 in Wilmington to the late John and Jean Wright (Gratton).
Joe attended St. Elizabeth High School and graduated in 1976. He then went on to attend University of Delaware and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. There, he met his future wife, Anne Mazzotta, in 1978. They went on to spend the next 47 years together raising their family, traveling, and volunteering in their church and community. Joe was a Knight of Columbus and delivered Meals on Wheels in his retirement.
From a young age, Joe was a fan of the Philadelphia sports teams, especially the Phillies. His bucket list was to visit all 50 ballparks. Fortunately, he had great friends and family willing to travel around the USA with him, seeing 48 of the 50 parks. He also loved playing basketball and later was a referee. He was a proud UD alumnus and enjoyed attending UD football and basketball games.
Joe had a successful career as a professional engineer in the State of Delaware with more than three decades of public service working in New Castle, Kent, and Sussex counties. He began his career at the Delaware Department of Transportation upon graduating from University of Delaware. He dedicated nearly 33 years of his career in a variety of capacities, including project engineer, project manager, assistant director of various programs, Sussex County district engineer, and statewide director of Maintenance & Operations. Upon retiring in 2013, he then spent the next five years serving in Sussex County government as assistant county engineer in a position that supported the county in the planning and management of major capital projects that included the airport runway extension, building renovations, parking lot improvements, and sewer system expansions. He was a member and past president of the American Society of Highway Engineers and was inducted into the American Society of Highway Engineers’ Hall of Fame in 2019.
Joe is survived by his loving wife, Anne; their children, Michael and Kathleen (Curtis); grandson Louis Joseph; his siblings, Jack Wright (Mary), Jim Wright (Tish), Joanne Feldberg (Dieter) and Jeanne Sweeney (the late Mark); and many adoring nieces and nephews. He will be deeply missed by all those who loved him.
The family would like to thank everyone who supported Joe with prayers, cards, phone calls, and visits. Special thanks to his medical teams at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Tunnell Cancer Center, and Vitas Hospice for their care and compassion.
A visitation will be held at 10 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 22, at St. Edmond Catholic Church, Rehoboth Beach, followed by a Mass to celebrate Joe’s life at 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Joe may be made to his favorite charity, Jeanne Jugan Residence, Little Sisters of the Poor, 185 Salem Church Road, Newark, DE 19713.
