Alva Wright Brent

Alva Reed Wright Brent died at home in Walnut on January 2, 2026, after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's. Alva was born in Walnut in 1936 on the family farm where her parents, Clytie and Dillard Wright, were subsisting during the Great Depression. The family moved to Memphis during World War II when she was six. She graduated from Germantown High School and went on to graduate with a BA majoring in Spanish and library science from Blue Mountain College. Alva proceeded to have a varied career beginning as an air stewardess (flight attendant) for Delta Airlines. In 1964, in Atlanta, she married Louis Moore, with whom she had two sons, Joey and Chris. Upon returning to Memphis in 1972, she worked variously as a legal secretary, librarian at St Joseph's Hospital, and departmental secretary in research laboratories at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. It was there in 1975 that she met and, in 1976, married her second husband, Tom Brent. Together they raised her two sons and his two sons, Tim and Matt. In 1979, aged 43, Alva entered nursing school at St. Joseph's School of Nursing, graduating as a Registered Nurse in 1982. For the next more than fifteen years, she worked first in the spinal injuries division at the VA Hospital and lastly as Charge Nurse back at St. Joseph's Hospital in Memphis. When her husband retired from St. Jude in 2003, she moved back to Walnut, where they built their house on the farm where she was born. Alva continued to be involved in local activities for the next two decades, often helping other neighbors with health issues. She was a member of Harmony Baptist Church, which they attended until her health started to fail. Alva was preceded in death by her parents, Clytie and Dillard Wright, and her brothers, Thomas, Neil, and Hugh. Alva is survived by her husband, Tom, and her sons, Joey (Molly)and Chris Moore, stepsons Tim and Matthew Brent, grandchildren Patti, Joseph (Amber), and Allie (Jose), and six great-grandchildren. Alva will be missed, the world being a better place for her brief passage. Officiated by: Bro. Ron Mitchell Pallbearers: Chris Moore, Joey Moore, Joseph Moore, Jr., Chuch Balch, Jose Escobar, Matthew Brent In lieu of flowers, please make donations to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or the charity of your choice.

Alva Wright Brent

July 17, 1936 - January 2, 2026