Toys for Tots organizer leaves ‘big shoes to fill’

Timothy J. Rubertt, who died suddenly on May 16, is missed terribly by family, friends and fellow Marines. But there also are hundreds of children around the Inland Northwest who will miss him, even though many never met him.

As the Spokane coordinator of the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots program for the past 18 years, Rubertt put gifts in the hands of needy kids who’d otherwise get very little for Christmas.

“Tim was instrumental in setting up the warehouse, coordinating the Marines and getting the toys to the kids,” said Randy Ott, commandant for the local Marine Auxiliary, the Melvin M. Smith Detachment of Spokane. “And he did so with gusto, I’ve got to tell you that. Toys for Tots was a big kicker for him – he leaves some very big shoes to fill.”

Rubertt, who was 41, leaves behind his wife, Colene, and a son, Timmy.

He served in the Marine Corps from 1984 to 1986. Ott met Rubertt in 1993 and they became close friends.

Ott said the two also worked together in the Military Order of the Devil Dogs, a part of the Marine Corps League that conducts fundraisers for children’s charities.

Rubertt died the morning of the opening day of the Ride the West Horse Show, Ott said, where the two were getting ready to work together on a fundraiser for Toys for Tots.

“Tim was so into kids,” he said. “His own son, of course, meant the world to him, but he did so much for other kids as well.”

For the past six years, Rubertt worked as a supervisor at Morning Star Boys’ Ranch, where his wife has worked for 15 years. “There was this really big presence about him. There was just something that called to you when he walked into a room,” said Sarah Kusler, human resources and program assistant at Morning Star.

Kusler and Rubertt worked together in the independent living skills program for the past year.

“He was a great storyteller – he’d tell us about the Marines. He always had something to share, making us laugh,” she said. “He was definitely a real father figure for the boys. He is very much missed here.”

Rubertt also was involved in several youth sports associations including the Inland Northwest Pop Warner Football and Cheerleading organization, which he helped get off the ground, and the hockey club the Junior Chiefs.

In 2007 the Spokane South Little League team he helped coach made it to the state tournament.

“He was a great coach and he contributed in a lot of other ways to the league,” said Bill Mouser, coaching coordinator, past president and board member of the league. “He was very understanding and caring with the kids, and that’s the main point of being a good coach.”

Dave Smith, a science teacher at Mountain View Middle School in Spokane Valley, was the manager and Rubertt’s coaching partner.

“When you coach with a guy you get to know him,” Smith said. “Tim was always there, incredibly dependable, and he would always pick you up. I think that was the Marine in him.”

The Friday Rubertt died, the team had an evening practice scheduled, followed by a game the next day – a plan they stuck to.

“The kids wanted to play to honor him,” Smith said.

Rubertt is included in the boys’ brand-new team photos.

“That’s a little bit sad, to see him there in the picture,” Smith said, hesitating. “You go to the ballpark and you expect him to be there. It’ll take a while before we realize that he’s not.”