Springfield restaurant raising funds after employee's death in crash. Here's how to help

When Jon Wright wasn't exuding a positive and genuine energy around friends and family, he was often strumming his guitar.

Music was the Crane native's passion, but loved ones — hailing from many walks of life — were his primary focus.

Wright, who died Saturday after his vehicle was struck by an alleged drunk driver in Springfield, also left an indelible mark on several coworkers.

The 37-year-old did a little bit of everything at Colton's Steakhouse, where he worked for roughly five years. He was also balancing a second job at Casper's restaurant.

When he wasn't serving tables, Wright was a line cook. No job was too big or small for the self-described "man of many hats."

"He had a heart of gold," said Colton's manager and longtime friend Steven Clay, who graduated from Crane High School with Wright in 2005. "He would give you the shirt off his back."

Colton's now looks to help its late employee in wake of his tragic death.

From 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, the Colton's on Independence Street will be donating 20% of its sales to Wright's funeral expenses. Donations can also be made through Venmo and CashApp with in-store management overseeing the fundraiser.

"He was our utility guy," Clay said. "He was trying his hand over there at Casper's, and loving it,too."

Clay said that Wright was en route to his Casper's job on Saturday morning before the fatal five-vehicle accident at the intersection of Kansas Expressway and Sunshine Street.

Wright was the driver of a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu that was struck by a teen driver in a 2015 Chrysler 200 that was traveling south on Kansas Expressway when Wright's car was in the intersection.

Three other vehicles were involved in the 7 a.m. crash. After the initial impact on the Malibu, the two vehicles hit a 2011 Mazda 3, a 2003 Honda Accord, and a 2008 Buick Lucerne, police say.

The driver of the Mazda was transported to the hospital with moderate injuries and a passenger of the Chrysler was transported to the hospital with minor injuries.

Speed and alcohol were believed to be factors in the crash. The driver of the Chryler, 17, is in custody at the Greene County Juvenile Justice Center, and faces what could be class B felony DWI if the court ultimately decides to charge him as an adult.

Wright, who also ran a local food blog dubbed "The 417 Food Dude," had nearly 4,000 Facebook friends. Dozens have written on his page following his death.

Many described the impact Wright had on their lives.

"What a blessing to know that we were all able to have a person like that in our lives," wrote Thomas Moore, who has ownership at Colton's and Casper's. "He didn’t care what anyone thought of him. He was just Jon. He just loved each individual person in a very unique way, connecting with everyone throughout his journey."

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Colton's Steakhouse raising funeral money for employee killed in crash