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Colonel Amos L. Wright and Gloria Hanson Wright are pictured in their home Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, in Provo.

Jacob Nielson, Daily Herald

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Colonel Amos L. Wright and Gloria Hanson Wright are pictured.

Courtesy Becky Wright Phillips

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Colonel Amos L. Wright and Gloria Hanson Wright are pictured.

Courtesy Becky Wright Phillips

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In 1946, newlywed Gloria Hanson Wright mustered the courage to leave her home in the sleepy Cache Valley and travel halfway across the world to meet her husband, Col. Amos “Mose” Wright, in United States-occupied West Germany. 

Gloria had been in love with Mose ever since she laid eyes on him when he arrived at Logan High School as a sophomore, and she rearranged her class schedule to take band practice with him. 

The two went on a few dates through high school, wrote to one another during Mose’s three years at West Point Military Academy and had a three-day engagement before their wedding at the Logan Temple and Mose’s deployment. 

But as the train Bremerhaven pulled into Frankfurt to unite the young couple, a realization that she was leaving her whole world — and her mother — for this man sent Gloria into an immediate panic. 

“I hardly knew this man, and we were married,” Gloria said. “I was so scared, I hid and he couldn’t find me.” 

Eventually, Mose got on the train and found her, and the two embarked on a rich life that saw them live in 38 different places, have five children, 21 grandchildren, 63 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild, with five more on the way. 

Gloria, 99, and Mose, 101, now reside in Provo and recently celebrated their 80th wedding anniversary. To the best of their daughter Becky Wright Phillips’ knowledge, they are the only living couple in Utah right now that has reached the 80-year benchmark. 

What’s the secret to their success?

“Just be sure you always say, ‘Whatever you say dear,'” Mose said.

“You don’t say that half enough,” Gloria quipped back.  

In full transparency, Mose said there is no particular thing to ensure a marriage lasts 80 years, other than longevity, but that the relationship must have a strong emotional basis. 

“A good marriage is based on mutual affection, a really strong love for each other,” he said. 

Marriage of service 

Ever since the Wrights got off the train together in Frankfurt, their lives have been dedicated to the service of others, a commitment that required sacrifice.

Mose was an engineer in the army, a job that sent them to Germany, Japan and multiple different states while they raised their family. Living away from home came with its challenges.

When Mose and Gloria had their first baby in Germany, their parents received the news via telegram. Every time they moved, their children had to completely adjust their lives and find new friends.

Mose was deployed for the Vietnam and Korean wars, leaving Gloria alone to raise their children for extended periods.

“It was awful having to be alone. I hated that,” Gloria said.

Absence made the heart grow fonder, according to Mose. They were also enriched by their many different experiences.

“Our children lived very different lives … and that was wonderful for them and us too,” Gloria said.

The glue through it all was their faith and membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which offered them community and service opportunities.

“From place to place, we had the church,” Gloria said. “We didn’t have to find friends. We moved and went to church.”

Mose served as a group leader in Germany and has held many callings since, including serving on five different high councils and as a stake and district president. The couple also returned to Germany later in life to serve a senior mission.

“The church was a big factor in us enjoying life together and being close together. The church doctrine on marriage is so powerful,” Mose said.

Marriage of fulfillment 

As the Wrights sit on the same couch in their Provo home, reminiscing about their life together, what seems clear is not only do they love each other, they still enjoy spending time together, too.

One of their favorite activities is playing music. They first met each other in band practice, after all, where Gloria played the oboe and Mose played the clarinet.

Mose said Gloria was also a perfect piano player when he met her, and that she got him into singing.

“She could sight-read anything,” Mose said. “Put a piece of music in front of her, and she’d sight read it beautifully. I think that was a big plus to our marriage relationship, too, because I had a built-in accompanist, and she had somebody to play for.”

Their love of music was passed on to their four daughters, who are talented musicians in their own right. Those daughters, their one son and all of their children and grandchildren are the most important thing Gloria and Mose share.

The one negative thing about having a large family, Gloria said, is they can hardly see them all. But they put in the effort. Mose and Gloria used to write birthday cards to every person in the family, something they did not give up doing until last year.

Their posterity also makes time for them.

“Just these last four months, mom was in the hospital for a little bout, and then all the grandkids would bring dinner every night,” Phillips said. “We’d rotate, and it was awesome. They all love their grandparents and their great-grandparents.”

When Mose turned 100, the family held a large birthday celebration where 96 people people came — nearly everyone in the family. Phillips said a similar party is in the works for when Gloria turns 100.

“In our later life, a big posterity has been a big factor, and been a blessing,” Mose said.

The couple has enjoyed all of it together.

“It was a great life,” Gloria said.