Resident Spotlight
When you sit down with Betty Wright, it doesn’t take long to feel at ease. She has a gentle way of bringing people in, from her earliest days on a farm in Salinas, California, to her warm welcome today at Renaissance.
Born on February 2, 1950, Betty grew up surrounded by fields and family. Her older sister still lives back in Salinas, a place rich with memories for Betty. Summers were spent alongside her parents, dad, and grandpa, helping in the orchard and tending to cows—a season of life that sparked her lasting love of nature, animals, and simple joys.
Betty graduated from North Salinas High in 1969, and earned her Associate’s in Business from Hartnell Junior College. She worked a variety of jobs around Salinas—department store associate, produce secretary, drug store clerk—always with a readiness to lend a hand.
Her sense of adventure and devotion led her next to Moselle, Mississippi, where she worked at a drug store and then Methodist Hospital, rising from unit clerk to running the business office. In Alabama, she and her husband Ron embraced small-town life, running a mom-and-pop restaurant. Everything changed in 1984, when their son Robert entered their lives through adoption; Betty became a stay-at-home mom and managed their farm, home to cows, pigs, goats, dogs, and cats.
Family has always come first for Betty. She and Ron—her sweetheart, best friend and husband of 54 years—built their story together across Mississippi, Alabama, and finally Georgia, where they found their “forever home.” Their family grew again with the arrival of granddaughter Ruby, now twelve, and Betty treasures every chapter.
Creativity and community remain central in Betty’s life: she loves reading, painting, and TV, and takes special pride in being a Rodeph Shalom Sisterhood member here in Rome. Years ago, she was a “bluebird”—a detail she shares with a fond smile.
A part of the Renaissance Marquis Retirement Community for almost a year now, Betty is known for greeting new residents and families, helping everyone feel truly welcome. Alongside Ron and their beloved black kitten Ebony (rescued right here in the courtyard), Betty enjoys games of bingo and moments of laughter with friends old and new.
When you meet Betty, you sense her open heart—anchored in family, enriched by friendship, and lifted by the simple gestures that make a place feel like home. We are grateful to have Betty, Ron, and Ebony as part of the Renaissance family, brightening our days and weaving new memories every step of the way.
