MONROE — Officially, Larry Roberton had 19 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. But dozens more thought of him as “Grandpa Larry,” the happy elderly guy at sports events who glowed with unconditional love.
A longtime supporter of Monroe High School sports — particularly female athletes — Roberton was a fixture in the bleachers at Bearcats games. Former Monroe girls basketball coach Alan Dickson introduced himself to Roberton in 1994, after Dickson noticed Roberton cheering every night that Dickson’s team played during the coach’s first season.
“I shook his hand. He just had the sweetest smile, and I said, ‘We’ve noticed you at the games and really appreciate your support.’ Then he started coming to everything.”
Whether it was a road game in Oak Harbor or Lynden, a state tournament trip to the Tacoma Dome or even a practice, Roberton avidly rooted for Dickson’s girls basketball squad. Then Roberton began attending girls soccer, volleyball and softball games too. He became the players’ undisputed No. 1 fan.
That’s why his death was so hard on them.
Roberton died April 23 of complications related to diabetes and heart failure. He was 81. At a memorial service for Roberton April 27 at Monroe Faith Center, more than 40 of the 140 or so people who attended were current or former Monroe High athletes, mostly females. Many wore letterman jackets.
Dickson, who stopped coaching Monroe in 2007, spoke at the ceremony, as did former Monroe athletes Keena Hopkins and Kaylee Kolrud.
The world needs more people like Roberton, Dickson said last week in a phone interview. “If we all learned to have the kind of love that he had, there’d be a lot more peace,” said Dickson.
At the end of every sports season, Roberton presented female Monroe varsity players with handwritten cards and presents, like a $5 coffee-shop gift card. Regardless of an athlete’s ability or role in a particular sport, Roberton supported them all, Dickson said.
By his third season at Monroe, Dickson invited Roberton to his team’s postseason awards celebration. “I figured he was part of the family,” Dickson said. “It was a big part of his life.”
Roberton’s true family, including his wife Annabelle and their six children, was touched by the outpouring of appreciation by athletes and coaches at the memorial.
“It made us feel great,” said Rex Roberton, Larry Roberton’s oldest son. The turnout easily exceeded what the family expected, Rex said.
Monroe athletes past and present gave sympathy cards to the Robertons. jotting messages about what “Grandpa Larry” meant to them.
“He was a wonderful man who brought so much joy to all of us girls,” former Bearcat basketball player Tiffany Snyder wrote. “It was a blessing to have him a part of our lives. As for myself, Grandpa Larry filled that void of not having my own grandparents around to watch my games. Just having him there made me smile.”
Roberton moved to Monroe in 1982, a few years after he retired from farming in northeast Montana. Born in Kansas, he attended a high school in Missouri and — in addition to playing basketball — earned an award for having the best grades in his graduating class. He joined the Air Force and served 20 years of active duty, followed by 10 years in the reserves.
Roberton was always a sports fan, particularly enjoying basketball. His daughter Tami Aune said her dad came to every one of her youth and prep hoops games. Roberton’s four sons didn’t play organized athletics, which might be why Roberton later gravitated toward Monroe High’s girls teams even though he had no family connection to the school.
Roberton’s other daughter, Candy Floyd, has a different theory for why her dad supported Monroe’s female athletes. “I think it was the hugs,” she said, laughing. “The girls were huggable and sweet to him.”
Kelsey Brennan, a 2008 Monroe High grad who starred in volleyball and track, fondly recalled Roberton’s kind smile and constant encouragement.
“He was always so excited to be there and happy to support us,” Brennan said. “We always loved having him at the games.”
One of Roberton’s most prized and well-worn possessions was his Monroe letterman jacket, purchased for him in 2005 by the Bearcats girls soccer team. Then, one by one, the school’s girls squads presented him with patches representing their particular sport, which Roberton proudly displayed on his jacket.
In a final tribute to Roberton and his passion for Bearcats sports, Roberton’s family laid him to rest in his beloved letterman jacket.
Mike Cane: mcane@heraldnet.com. Check out the prep sports blog Double Team at www.heraldnet.com/doubleteam.
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