Marilyn Miller Wright

Marilyn Miller Wright, 90 of Eden, passed away on January 13, 2026, at her home.

Marilyn Miller Wright was the daughter of the late Mayor James Ray Miller and Emily Funkhouser Miller of Strasburg, Virginia, born on June 21, 1935. She was educated in the Shenandoah County Schools of Virginia where she played basketball, softball, and cheered on her high school teams and, at the age of 15, was selected Miss Strasburg from 150 contestants.

Following high school graduation, Marilyn entered the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA, and transferred after one year to Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, VA. She graduated with a BS degree in Business Administration as a member of the Business School Honor Society. She was selected by the student body as Maid of Honor in the Richmond May and also selected to represent the University as a Princess in the Winchester Apple Blossom Festival held each year in April.

She befriended VCU graduate student James M. Wright (Jim) who had recently graduated from Duke University with a BSM in Pre-Medicine and taking graduate courses at VCU in order to become President of Wright’s Inc. Men’s and Women’s clothing in Eden and Reidsville from his parents. A year later, they were engaged.

In August of 1958 they were married at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Strasburg, VA. Following a trip to Bermuda, she located south to the small town of Leaksville, NC, soon to become Eden due to a merger of three surrounding communities.

Marilyn immediately became part of the social community.

Marilyn was a member and volunteer of Leaksville United Methodist Church since 1958. She was a member of the George Reynolds Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and served as Regent; member of the Junior League; member of the Eden Preservation Society; member of the Town and Country Garden Club; and she and her husband became members of the Meadow Greens Country Club and both continued to serve in a number of executive positions for many years.

In the 1960s, Marilyn worked for the Wright Company Real Estate for Homer E. Wright, Jr., brother of her husband, Jim. In 1984, Jim and Marilyn relocated to a second home in Southport, NC, where Jim became President of First Brunswick Building Company and, later, Vice President of Development – St. James Plantation, a project of the Wright Company. During this time, Marilyn managed Oak island Beach Villas with John Dees until the Villas were completed ant they moved to St. James.

Marilyn’s favorite pastimes were sailing in the Caribbean and gardening. She was an avid tennis player with an established group at Meadow Greens Country Club. She had enjoyed golfing in her early years. Mostly she enjoyed supporting and entertaining her many friendships.

Marilyn is predeceased by her husband, James M. Wright; parents, James Ray Miller and Emily Funkhouser Miller of Strasburg, VA; brother, James Ray Miller, Jr., of Arlington, VA; and sister, Cornelia Miller Sollenberger of Orlando, FL; an infant brother, Henkel Miller, 1932; former son-in-law, John M. Guarino, Ph.D., of Canton, MA.

She is survived by her daughter, Emily Wright Guarino, Former Director, Virginia CSA/DSS, of the home.

Marilyn was proud of her Henkel and Lutheran ancestry where family records connect her to Queen Maria of Austria-Hungry and a relative, Count Conrad Henkle Von Donnersmarck, in the Queens court that had befriended Martin Luther. The Count encouraged the Queen to help fund Martin Luther in his efforts to promote his life to the reformation movement and bring his followers to the new world. Queen Maria was the mother of Maria Antoinette, the beautiful wife of Louis XVI of France who unfortunately was guillotined, Oc. 16, 1793, during the French Revolution. The family furniture company of Henkel-Harris which is still in existence today.

A family thank you to special friends:

Shannon Blackwell Wilkes, Tammy Jachimiak Harris, Carla Johanna Hairston and Julie Tulloch Cresenzo and Pastor Lauren Sims-Salada, LUMC, and her church family.

A private service celebrating her life will be held at the Miller Memorial at Riverview Cemetery in Strasburg, VA, where she will be buried along with her husband and family.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be contributed to Ancora Compassionate Care – Gibson House, PO Box 281, Wentworth, NC 27375.