Granby XC Teams Go Pink For Dennis and RuthAnn Lobo

RuthAnn Lobo would give a one-line response when her husband, longtime Granby Memorial High boys cross country and track and field head coach Dennis Lobo, bemoaned his teams’ projected deficiencies at the beginning of every season.

“She would always say, ‘Wait and see,’” Dennis Lobo said of RuthAnn, a former school counselor at Granby Memorial Middle School at the age of 67 after a prolonged battle with breast cancer.

Before the Bears’ tri-meet against Bolton, East Windsor and Enfield on Wednesday afternoon in Granby, Dennis Lobo was greeted with the phrase once again, as the members of his team were decked out in T-shirts with ‘Wait and See’ emblazoned on their backs in bold pink letters along with RuthAnn’s initials on the sleeves.

The girls team members wore pink T-shirts that said “Race for the Cure” on the back, in recognition of RuthAnn’s work with the charity. All of the runners were adorned in fuchsia socks, which they raced in.

The mass pink-out came as a complete surprise to Dennis Lobo, who has coached the cross country team for over 40 years.

“It blew me away,” he said. “When I saw it, I lost it. I knew they were ordering [shirts], but it was a well-kept secret. [Girls head coach] Wally Hanson didn’t tell me about it.”

Dennis Lobo lost it again shortly after that when he was surprised by his three children — UConn All-American women’s basketball player Rebecca Lobo, Jason Lobo and Rachel Lowry — and nine grandchildren waiting for him after he gave the four teams the pre-race course walk-through.

The gestures went beyond recognizing that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and that RuthAnn was a tireless and fearless cancer advocate.

They also served to acknowledge and thank both Dennis and RuthAnn for their decades of service not just to the children of Granby, but to the community as a whole.

“They have impacted a lot of people in positive ways,” Rebecca Lobo said. “They’ve taught so many generations of kids [that] my dad has taught lots of kids who he has also taught their parents. So it's not a stretch to say it’s generations.”

The event was one more way to help Dennis, who taught history and social studies at Granby Memorial High for 35 years, and the members of the Lobo family cope with the loss of a beloved wife, mother and educator.

“[RuthAnn] always used to come to his meets, so I know that the first meet of the year was difficult not having her here,” Jason Lobo said. “So it’s nice for the team to recognize her and for all of us to come by and support him.”

The members of the team were more than happy to do so.

“It’s nice to give back to coach,” Ethan Lang, the boys’ co-captain, said. “He’s given us a lot over four years, so it’s nice to have something to give back to him in recognition of RuthAnn.”

“It’s pretty hard to find someone you know who hasn’t been touched in some way by breast cancer,” added co-captain John Stingle. “Especially with what coach’s wife went through, and everything she did for the town and what coach has done for me and the team in my four years here, it means a lot.”

The Lobo family is nothing if not grateful.

“It’s really been through my mother’s passing these past three months that we realized how much she actually touched this town, and the people in this state,” Rachel Lowry said. “The people who have come forward and said things and done things in our family, it’s just heartwarming. It’s very much appreciated.”

“This is such a great community,” said Rebecca Lobo, noting the myriad current and former runners who attended her mother’s wake.

Dennis Lobo, for his part, said that he continues to coach due in no small part at the behest of his wife, who told him near the end of her battle with cancer that he needed a purpose to carry on.

“It’s been a godsend,” Dennis Lobo said of coaching. “This is what keeps me going. Everybody says to keep busy, and this keeps me busy. I love it.”

And how would RuthAnn react to the day’s events?

“She would be really honored,” Dennis said. “She would be very, very touched seeing her name and her initials. I think she’s looking down on us. She would shed as many tears as I have today. Maybe more.”

Donations can still be made to RuthAnn and Rebecca Lobo’s scholarship fund; checks can be made out to the "R & R LOBO SCHOLARSHIP, UCONN FOUNDATION" and mailed to Kevin A. Edwards, Assistant Vice President for Treasury Services, 2390 Alumni Drive, Unit 3206, Storrs, Connecticut 06269-3206.