Dr. Howard Hugh Bright Jr., 87, of Winchester, died Tuesday, July 24, 2018 at The Village of Orchard Ridge in Winchester, VA.
Howard was born Dec. 25, 1930 in Pittsburgh, Pa., the son of the late Howard Hugh Bright Sr. and Katherine Marie Bright. He married Doris Mae Neely on June 12, 1954 in Sewickley, Pa. and is survived by his wife; two sons, Stephen Bright and wife, Liz, of Lynchburg, Va., and Jonathan Bright and wife, Erica, of Pasadena, Md.; and three grandchildren, Rachel, Sarah and Daniel Bright. He was preceded in death by his two brothers, Barry Bright and Irving Bright.
Howard grew up in Aspinwall, Pa., outside of Pittsburgh. He was a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, and received his doctorate at the Boston University School of Theology in 1955. After graduation, he became a member of the Western Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church and served congregations in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
In 1967, he joined the faculty at West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, rising to the rank of full professor. He taught sociology and humanities until his retirement in 1992. After retirement, he continued to teach and worked as a United Methodist minister for various congregations.
Howard had a love for music and the arts, and spent many summers enjoying concerts and lectures at the Chautauqua Institution in Upstate New York.
A memorial service was held on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2018 at 11 a.m. at the Braddock Street United Methodist Church in Winchester, Va. In lieu of flowers, donations were made to the West Virginia Wesleyan College Wesleyan Fund, attention Advancement Office, 59 College Avenue, Buckhannon, WV 26201. Interment was at a later date in the Sewickley Cemetery, Sewickley, PA.