Velma Lu Boyd Bright was born on Dec. 12, 1924, in Stamford, TX, to Louis and Beulah Boyd. She grew up in McCaulley, TX and graduated from Abilene Christian College. She had an older brother, Joe Boyd, who died in France in World War II and a younger brother, Holman Boyd, who preceded her in death. She was also preceded in death by her husband, Wilson Bright, and son, James Bright.

She is survived by a son, Joe Bright, and his wife, Vicki, of Springfield, MO; by a daughter-in-law, Carol Bright, of Schertz, TX; by five grandchildren, Kelli Phillips and husband, Russell, of Kansas City, MO, Alicia Moore and husband, Josh, of Springfield, MO, Alison Bright and fiance, Joel Garber, of Los Angeles, CA, Collin Bright and wife, Stacy, of Washington, DC, and Laura Miller and husband, Blake, of Kansas City, MO. Surviving her are also seven great grandchildren: Rhett and Vivian Phillips; Jude, Axel and Liza Miller; and Lyra and Sylvia Moore.

She is also survived by a host of nieces, nephews, and dear friends. She was a member of the Sunset Church of Christ. Memorial contributions can be made to Fair Haven Children’s Home.

Lu Bright was loved and cherished from her first breath to her last, and she leaves us with a beautiful legacy. In her childhood, she was doted on by sweet parents and loved well by her two brothers. She adored her husband, Wilson, who treated her as a queen throughout their happy marriage. She sometimes said “My daddy carried me around on a silver platter, and when I got married, he just passed it on to Wilson.” Her favorite role was that of mother, and she named the years she spent at home with her two sons as the sweetest in life. She was a loving mother-in-law, grandmother, and proud great-grandmother. As Mother, Grandmother, and Mama Lu, she blessed us all with her genuine delight, her high expectations, and her tender kindness. We were often told that we were “just as welcome as the breeze” or “as handy as a pocket on a shirt” or that she loved us “a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck.”

She loved the Lord and shared that love through daily conversation and global correspondence. She taught for 23 years in public schools and was a beloved teacher to many. She celebrated the beauty of God’s world through her words and paintings. She was independent and adventurous: she traveled the world throughout her life and moved cross-country in both her twenties and her seventies. In spite of hardships and loss throughout life, she remained open-hearted and led with love, grace, and a cheery disposition. She welcomed age with unmatched grace, constantly acknowledging her own limitations and relinquishing freedoms freely so that her family could care for her more easily.

We’ll always remember her way with words, the twinkle of joy in her eye, her gentle advice, and her hope for eternity.

Graveside services for the family will be at Neinda, TX cemetery.

She went home to be with her Lord on March 19, 2023 in Springfield, MO at the age of 98.