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Meet Jack and Amanda

She grew up on the floors of the Family Health West nursing home being held by residents as an infant. Also, the youngest of four with a hard-working nurse for a mother. He was raised in Florida and was getting out of the Army and they met up in the spring of 2015 in Zephyrhills, Florida.

“I fell in love with his parents first,” Amanda said, of Jack’s parents, Penny and Jack Sr. “His sisters were also my best friends.”

2018 Fruita Sweetheart 5k race event when Jack asked her to marry him. Raggedy Ann & Andy was the costume that year.

By the time Amanda had moved back to western Colorado, it was March 2017, and pretty soon Jack friend requested her on Facebook. They then exchanged phone numbers and were calling each other regularly. At the time, they both worked night shifts which helped but there was a two-hour time difference. They did virtual dates – both getting Chick-fil-a and eating over Facetime video.

By May 2017, Jack had hopped a Greyhound bus and five days later was in Fruita. The ride up was rough, Amanda’s family gave Jack the once over about ten times, and by the time he returned to Florida Amanda wasn’t sure they’d stay together. But a few more trips in the fall of 2017 solidified their relationship and love for one another.

Jack said with a chuckle, had they grown up in the same town or lived in the same area.. “there is no way Amanda would have been caught dead with the likes of me.”

The 2023 costumer was Double Stuffed Oreos. Check out the FHW Facebook post for more of their Fruita Sweetheart 5k race photos!

Amanda’s plan was always to stay in Fruita, work at Family Health West, and be close to her family. Jack was on board with getting out of Florida and in October 2017, packed up his truck and made the final drive to Mesa County – not looking in the rearview mirror once.

“I never wanted to live anywhere else,” Amanda said, so Jack’s relocation made perfect sense.

While Amanda was making Raggedy Ann and Andy costumes for them to run in the City of Fruita Sweetheart Race in February 2018, Jack secretly bought a diamond ring and recruited Amanda’s sister in helping to plan out the proposal. At the end of the race, Jack proposed and Amanda said, “yes!” They were married in October 2018, with Errol Snider officiating a local ceremony.

Amanda claims 27 years at Family Health West with a caveat of 12 years as a paid employee. She started as an aid in the beauty shop (for the nursing home residents).

Nowadays… “Nobody can say I don’t recruit for Family Health West,” Amanda said adding her husband and her father-in-law are also FHW employees, and dad and her mother-in-law Penny are FHW volunteers. And if you haven’t figured it out yet, Amanda’s mom is the much loved Lori Randall, FHW Executive Vice President of Operations & Chief Nursing Officer.

“People are starting to figure it out,” Jack said, about him and Amanda being married, and not being siblings or some other connection that inevitably makes them laugh.

Nowadays they spend a lot of time camping, hiking, and enjoying the outdoors. They also continue to dress up for the annual Sweethearts Race but no clues were given about the costume for this year’s event. However, it’s highly anticipated!

Amanda Wright is the FHW Activities Director who most recently was onboard in March 2017. Jack Wright, Jr. is a Respiratory Therapist Assistant who came to the FHW team in August 2022.

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