Ltc John Ben Wright, Dds

LTC John Ben Wright, D.D.S., a.k.a., “Dr. J.B.”, passed away on February 19, 2021 at Saint Patrick’s Hospital in Lake Charles.

John Ben was born in Houston, Texas on August 5, 1941 to Harold Douglas Wright and Esther Duke Wright, both preceding him in death. He was also preceded in death by his two younger brothers, William Douglas “Billy Doug” Wright, and Terrell Leigh Wright.  He is survived by his wife of thirty-five years, Shelly Fholer Wright; his children John Ben Wright II and Kimberly Wright Anthony; his son Jeffery Fholer and John Ben’s grandsons Julian Wright, Justin Lauer Wright, Grey Fholer, Alaric Fholer, and granddaughter Caroline Fholer.

John Ben attended Holy Cross High School in New Orleans, Louisiana, and eventually went on to attend Loyola University. He knew since early childhood that he wanted to be a dentist and he went on to study dentistry at Loyola School of Dentistry, where he made his closest friends for life, including his best friend Mickey Haik.

John Ben served his country with pride in military service throughout his life. After graduating from Dental School in 1966, he Joined the United States Air Force and was stationed in the islands of the Azores, Portugal, where his children John Ben II and Kimberly were born to his first wife, Wanda Castleman Dalby.

After his time in the Air Force, he returned with his family to Louisiana and opened a private practice in Bell Chase, Louisiana.  After eleven years in private practice, John Ben rejoined the Armed Forces in 1979, going on to serve as a dentist in the Army for many years. While in the Army, he continued his education to specialize in dental prosthetics, and it was during that training program that he met his second wife Shelly Fholer in El Paso, Texas. After the prosthetics training program ended, he was stationed to Schweinfurt, Germany, where Shelly eventually joined him. They were married in Basil, Switzerland, in 1985 and returned to the U.S. in 1987, when John Ben was stationed in Fort Carson, Colorado, his ‘dream assignment.’  In the beautiful Colorado terrain John Ben had ample opportunity to enjoy his favorite pass times of hunting and fishing.

In 1997, John Ben retired from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel and in 1998 he and Shelly settled in Lake Charles, Louisiana.  John Ben was happiest when practicing dentistry, and he continued to practice in other locations for various health care companies. One of his favorite assignments was for the Choctaw Nation in Talihina, Oklahoma, which gave him the opportunity to fulfill one of his lifelong dreams of working for the Native American Indian community. His last contract was in Merryville, Louisiana where he worked for five years before retiring in March of 2020. John Ben truly loved being a dentist and leaves behind many patients and dental assistants who will all grieve his loss along with his family.