On Sunday, May 1, the Friends of Lakeview Cemetery held a spring fundraiser at the Patchogue Theatre of the Performing Arts honoring Ralph Wright. Wright has served as chair of the Cemetery Restoration Task Force now known as the Friends of Lakeview Cemetery, a committee of the Greater Patchogue Foundation, beginning in 2015. Under his leadership, the cemetery received annual grants from Suffolk County which were used to improve the grounds of the cemetery, including the installation of irrigation.  The task force began regular cleanups and held fundraising events.  In addition to his volunteer work for the cemetery restoration, Wright has served as treasurer of the Greater Patchogue Foundation since its inception in 2002.  He was the president of E&R Tax and Business Services, located on East Main Street, Patchogue, from 1995 until he retired in 2021. Even in retirement, he continues to provide accounting services to clients who work in and live not only on Long Island and the metro New York area, but also nationwide as well as in foreign countries.

Wright is an ordained Presbyterian minister.  He is the honorably retired pastor of the Yaphank Presbyterian Church. For over 15 years, he served on the Board of Trustees and now serves on the Budget Committee and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Committee of the Presbytery of Long Island. He also serves as pulpit supply for the Presbytery, and after retirement from the Yaphank congregation he provided a year and half ministry with the Community Presbyterian Church of Merrick. Most of Pastor Wright’s ministry has been that of a Tentmaker, namely serving a church while being employed in a secular occupation. He has served churches in both California and New York. His employment has included working for General Electric, the United Way of Los Angeles, the American Red Cross and the International Red Cross. In these capacities he has worked in Africa, Europe, and North America.