Local Folks: Chris & Ashley Woolston

Local Folks: Chris & Ashley Woolston
Chris and Ashley Woolston at the finish line

Chris and Ashley Woolston are a dynamic couple. They are fun, active and community minded. They are San Marco residents who have a passion for children, pets and the outdoors.

Chris is originally from England. Ashley is a native of Gainesville. They are both employed at schools in St. Johns County. Chris works at Rawlings Elementary, where he recently stepped outside the classroom to become an instructional literacy coach to teachers. Ashley is at Liberty Pines Academy, teaching 6th grade.

Ashley, Winston, Moxie, and Wendy Woolston, Blood Mountain, Georgia
Ashley, Winston, Moxie, and Wendy Woolston, Blood Mountain, Georgia

The Woolston family includes three rescue dogs. “Winston is 16, and he’s a nightmare. Wendy is 7, and she’s perfect in every way. And Moxie is only 4.” Ashley said. Moxie had belonged to Ashley’s late mother, who had gotten Moxie as a puppy a short time before her passing. Chris and Ashley walk all three throughout San Marco, where they have lived for more than a decade. The five of them frequent Alexandria Oaks Park.

Chris and Ashley are avid travelers. Their list of destinations is lengthy: Bali, South Africa, Thailand, Singapore, Canada, Malaysia, and all around America and Europe. That does not complete the list. “Chris loves hiking, and if there’s an animal, I want to see it,” Ashley said. They’ve bathed elephants, snorkeled with seals, snowmobiled up to Old Faithful, hiked up a volcano at sunrise, and walked the Appalachian Trail. They bring the dogs along to wherever they’re allowed. And if the three must stay home, they have a great dogwalker who pet sits. “The dogs love her more than they love us,” Ashley said.

Locally, too, the Woolstons keep quite active. “Chris is always training for something,” his wife said. Together, they’ve completed several races, including the Gate River Run. They are huge fans of 1st Place Sports, the headquarters that has been supportive of the couple on their running journey. “They have really knowledgeable staff that help us plan our runs. They’re great,” Chris said. 

Ashley and Chris Woolston, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Christmas 2020
Ashley and Chris Woolston, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Christmas 2020

Ashley coaches cross-country at the school where she teaches. It used to be a simple club, but she turned it into a competitive team. The students are young, so they run 3K instead of 5K races. “Running is such a good skill for anybody to learn,” Ashley said. Bishop Kenny High School often allows Ashley’s team to compete in Duval, even though Rawlings is in St. Johns County.

On the first Saturday of every month, Chris and Ashley can be found in the gazebo at Balis Park. They partner with Desiree Bailey of San Marco Books, who supplies them with a few hot, new kids’ books they read to all who show up. It began during the pandemic as a way to get outside and still see people. After each reading, Chris and Ashley supply toys and games, sometimes it’s puzzles or play dough, for the kids to join in and socialize with each other. “We let them have at it,” Chris said. Coffee is provided for the parents. The Woolstons fund the activities themselves as a service to the community.  Sometimes, they try to get other groups involved. They’ve had dancers come and give a performance and have had a couple of local authors make appearances and read their own children’s books. “It’s an informal way to get people together and a way to get kids to enjoy reading stories as well,” Chris said. Ages have ranged from babies through eight-year-olds.

“Our favorite thing is to go to the movies in San Marco. We love the movie theater!” Ashley said. When they see a show, they enjoy a bottle of wine and lots of popcorn. “We love to go to the local restaurants and local bars, too,” Ashley said. To most of these places, they ride their bikes, like to Matthew’s or Grape & Grain. Every Tuesday night, Chris and Ashley join a trivia team at Tepeyolot. “The food is delicious there, and there’s a crew we meet up with,” Chris said.

Ashley and Chris Woolston, Bali, Summer 2021
Ashley and Chris Woolston, Bali, Summer 2021

When they were first married, Chris and Ashley lived in England. They came to Jacksonville to visit Ashley’s best friend who teaches at Douglas Anderson. Ashley and her friend had so much to talk about that Chris got bored, left their luncheon, and found a house for sale around the corner from where the three had been eating. Two weeks later, the Woolstons bought it.

Chris said, “We love San Marco! We had the opportunity to live pretty much anywhere in the United States. We found San Marco, and we got hooked straightaway!”

By Mary Wanser
Resident Community News

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (3 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
Loading...