Mary Rumberger dedicated her life to serving the Winter Park Y

On a Monday afternoon, families from all over Winter Park enter the glass double doors of the Winter Park YMCA. They’re families of all ethnicities and backgrounds, joining together to play sports, exercise and socialize.

But some residents stop for a moment before they begin their daily workout. A flat screen TV beside the front desk plays a continuous slideshow of photos of a tiny woman with white hair and a broad smile.

Moments of joy captured at birthday parties, weddings and family photos run in sequence – dozens of smiles frozen in time across the face of a Winter Park resident who dedicated her life to family and her local YMCA.

Winter Park resident and YMCA volunteer Mary Rumberger passed away from lung disease last month, leaving behind a legacy of generosity and dedication to supporting families in her city.

Rumberger championed her local Y, serving on multiple boards and supporting fundraising efforts, lending her time and talent for more than 30 years.

“Mary is going to be missed,” Winter Park YMCA Executive Director Bud Oliver said. “Mary was one of a kind…She had the passion and was always willing to help.”

Rumberger first came to the Winter Park YMCA as a proud parent, bringing her children to its sports programs after moving to the city in 1974. The Winter Park YMCA became a home away from home for Rumberger and her family, a place for swimming, gymnastics, flag football and countless Friday night spaghetti dinners.

Her love for the Winter Park YMCA and its programs led her to serve as scholarship chair and board chair on the Winter Park YMCA Board. In 2001, she joined the YMCA of Central Florida Metropolitan Board of Directors, later becoming the board chair in 2006.

She continued all the while to dive into annual fundraising campaigns, whether hunting down funding or coordinating events.

“She was a leader in a quiet way, but she could get more people to do things before you realized that you were involved,” said Joan Ballard, who served on the YMCA of Central Florida Metropolitan Board of Directors with Rumberger.

“She was an inspiration, she was a friend, and she certainly leaves a huge legacy to the Y and to the community.”

Rumberger knew that a college education meant more opportunity for Winter Park’s youth, continuously supporting the Teen Achievers program, which brings high school students to colleges to inspire them to succeed.

She served as a chaperone on two college tours in 2011, hopping aboard a charter bus filled with teenagers to visit the University of Miami, Stetson University and Bethune-Cookman University.

She even provided monetary support to bring in guest speakers from different professions to motivate the students further.

“I see the outreach as part of her legacy,” Oliver said. “She was passionate about that … giving back and making sure those kids had a chance.”

In 2005, the YMCA recognized Rumberger with the John Sterchi Award for generous lifetime service, putting an exclamation mark on almost 30 years of time, love and funds given to the Y.

“Volunteerism is wonderful, but if it’s a lifetime of volunteerism like my mom, it really seems to be something special,” said Molly Domin, Rumberger’s daughter.

But Rumberger wasn’t finished. The lifelong YMCA supporter fought to expand her local Y even further all the way up until her passing, advocating for a new pool and parking lot for the past five years. She went door to door in local neighborhoods telling residents about how the new pool and parking would benefit the Y and, in turn, the community.

Winter Park YMCA’s goal to expand proved to be a difficult one. The Y had previously agreed not to expand any further, but knew that a pool and new parking lot would create more opportunities for members. Many residents pushed back against the expansion, believing that the Winter Park YMCA wouldn’t stop expanding if given the opportunity.

But after several years of advocacy, speaking at City Commission meetings, getting input from the community and the continued support from Rumberger, the additions were approved by the Winter Park City Commission in November of last year.

The construction for the pool and parking lot nears completion, with a ribbon cutting set for Nov. 21.

Since Rumberger’s passing, the Winter Park YMCA now takes donations in her name and look’s to put a plaque in the building in her honor.

“It wasn’t about her, it was about how she could help,” Oliver said. “I think it was that way right up until the end. She was more worried about other people than she was about herself.”

Oliver still remembers Rumberger visiting the Winter Park YMCA like anybody else, a Winter Park resident who came to the Y three to four times a week to power walk on the treadmill. A known leader, but away from the spotlight. Never asking for recognition, just a passionate resident serving her community.