Losing someone is a blur. Honestly, most of us just want to freeze time, but the world keeps spinning and there are suddenly a thousand decisions to make. In Rome, Georgia, if you’ve lived here long enough, you probably know the name Joe Wright. You’ve likely seen the sign for Wright Memorial Mortuary at 814 South Broad Street. It’s been there since 1971.
That’s over 50 years of history in one spot.
When Joe Wright opened the doors, he didn't just start a business; he basically built a community hub for people at their absolute lowest points. He used to say "service is friendship in action." It sounds like a marketing slogan, but in a town like Rome, those words actually had to mean something to survive five decades.
💡 You might also like: Why Tate and Tate Tax Service Actually Matters When You're Drowning in Paperwork
The Man Behind the Legacy
Joe Wright wasn't some corporate executive. He was a Korean War veteran who got his start working as an orderly in an Alabama hospital. Life is weird like that. He’d help transport patients, and that's where he met Bill Perry of Perry Funeral Home. That spark led him to Nashville’s John A. Gupton College of Mortuary Science.
He graduated in 1963.
Think about that timeline. He spent years training under the best directors in Georgia before he finally took the leap to open his own place in '71. He wasn’t just looking for a job. He was looking for a way to serve the people of Rome with a specific kind of dignity that felt personal, not transactional.
Sadly, Joe passed away in late 2019. It was a huge loss for the city. But the mortuary didn't just fold up. It’s still running, carrying on that same "friendship in action" vibe he started.
What They Actually Do (Beyond the Basics)
Most people think a mortuary is just a place for a casket and some flowers. It’s way more complex than that. Wright Memorial Mortuary handles everything from traditional burials to cremations, but they do it with a focus on "attention with compassion."
Kinda makes a difference when you’re not just a number on a spreadsheet.
They offer some pretty modern solutions for an old-school industry:
- Crowdfunding: They actually host memorial funds directly on their site. It’s way better than third-party sites that take massive fees.
- Life Insurance Funding: Most people don't know that insurance companies can take 90 days to pay out. Wright can often get a portion of that claim funded immediately so the family isn't stressed about the bill.
- Digital Tributes: They do the whole DVD slideshow thing, which honestly, is sometimes the only thing that makes people smile during a visitation.
Dealing With the Cost
Let's talk money. It’s the elephant in the room. Funerals are expensive. Period.
Wright Memorial is generally considered "moderate" in terms of pricing for the North Georgia area. You’re looking at around $5,000 to $7,500 for traditional full-service burials, though direct cremations are significantly less—sometimes under $1,000 depending on the specifics.
They accept eChecks and ACH, which saves on those annoying credit card fees. It’s a small detail, but when you’re spending thousands, those percentages add up.
💡 You might also like: Why Did Stock Market Rise Today: The AI Chip Surge and Inflation Surprise
Why Location Matters
The mortuary sits right on South Broad Street. It’s easy to find, and it has that classic, somber-but-welcoming look.
Contact Info for the Record:
- Address: 814 South Broad St. SW, Rome, GA 30161
- Phone: (706) 235-0642
- Fax: (706) 232-6355
Pre-Planning: The Gift Nobody Wants to Talk About
Most of us avoid thinking about our own funeral. It’s depressing. But honestly? Leaving your family to guess what kind of music you wanted or whether you preferred burial over cremation is a tough burden to leave behind.
Wright Memorial has a huge emphasis on pre-planning. They have a checklist that covers everything from your mother's maiden name (required for the death certificate) to which specific charities you want donations to go to. They even keep track of military discharge papers for veterans to ensure they get the honors they earned.
Real Community Impact
If you look at the tributes left for the Wright family over the years, you see names from all over Floyd County and beyond. People from Centre, Alabama, and Rockmart, Georgia, all talk about how Joe or the current staff treated them like family.
It’s about the small stuff. Like helping a pastor figure out how much food to order for a church lunch or making sure a specific set of golf clubs is displayed next to the casket because that was the deceased's favorite hobby.
Actionable Steps for Families in Rome
If you are currently facing a loss or just trying to be responsible for the future, here is how to navigate the process with Wright Memorial:
💡 You might also like: Cost of silver in india today: Why the white metal is going absolutely wild
- Gather Vital Stats: You'll need the Social Security number, parents' names (including maiden names), and education level of the deceased immediately for the state paperwork.
- Check the Policy: If there’s a life insurance policy, bring the physical document or the policy number to the first meeting. They can handle the verification so you don't have to call call-centers while grieving.
- Ask About Crowdfunding: If money is tight, ask them to set up the memorial fund on their website. It’s easier for friends to donate there than through a generic "GoFundMe" where it might get lost.
- Photo Prep: Start looking for 25-50 photos for the digital tribute. The sooner you get these to the staff, the better the final video looks.
- Veterans' Records: Locate the DD-214 form. You cannot get military honors or a veteran's marker without that specific piece of paper.
Dealing with death is never easy. It’s heavy. But having a place like Wright Memorial Mortuary in Rome—a place that’s been part of the local fabric since the early 70s—makes the weight a little easier to carry. They’ve seen it all, and they’ve helped thousands of your neighbors get through it.