'Judy's Wildcats' Mourn the Loss of Team's Biggest Fan

In sports, inspiration can come from a variety of places. For the Wilmington High School boys hockey team, that inspiration could be found sitting in a wheelchair along the glass in the corner of Ristuccia Arena.

They aren’t just Wildcats. They are Judy’s Wildcats. And though the team’s No. 1 supporter lost a courageous battle over the weekend, she will forever be intertwined with the two-time Division 2 state champions.

Judy Tipton Lee, the former bus driver for the team, passed away on Saturday after fighting ALS for several years.

“Even when she was going through her hard times, she was still there in the corner, always cheering us on,” said Brian Pickett, who graduated from Wilmington High School this spring. “It sounds like a small thing to have her sit there and say ‘Go get them’ or whatever she would say before the game. But it really meant a lot to us.”

Earlier this year, the boys hockey team organized a charity game in Lee’s honor. Each player donned a jersey with her name on the back, and the event helped raise money to fight ALS.

Head coach Steve Scanlon said Lee, 56, had a “real rapport” with his players, and said the fundraiser was a learning experience for his team.

“Everyone connected with the program knew that it was a good thing to do,” said Scanlon. “It’s such a terrible disease, and it’s hard to watch someone’s body deteriorating like that. She was a real fighter, and the kids got some inspiration from that. Even when things were bleak, she was getting to tournament games and rooting them on.”

Pickett said the fundraiser game was a way for players on the team to show support for Lee, just as she had always done for them.

“A lot of times people get worked up in high school sports. But it’s really just a game,” said Pickett, who said he pulled his jersey from the fundraising game out of the closet on Saturday when he heard the news of Lee’s death. “Hockey is a small part of this world. But ALS can wipe out a lot of people. To raise money to fight that is really what we wanted to do.”

The team’s connection with Lee didn’t end when the season did. In the spring when players received their championship rings, there was one extra box to hand out.

Players surrounded Lee, and presented her with her own ring as she reacted with great emotion to the gesture. In addition, each player’s ring had a special message permanently engraved along inside of it.

“Not a lot of people know this, but on the inside of our rings it says ‘Judy’s Wildcats,’” said Pickett. “When we gave her that ring, the smile on her face could have lit the whole room up. It was really special to see her be so happy over something as small as a ring. It shows there are little things that can make someone so happy.”

Visiting hours for Lee will be held on Thursday from 4-8 p.m. at Nichols Funeral Home. On Friday, a funeral will be held at 10 a.m. inside St. Thomas Church before she is laid to rest at Wildwood Cemetery.

According to Pickett, when the Wilmington boys hockey team celebrated its second straight state title earlier this year at TD Garden, they did so with their biggest fan in mind.

Though Lee will no longer watch games from her signature spot at Ristuccia Arena, she will long remain on the minds of the Wildcats – Judy’s Wildcats.

“We wanted to win another championship not only for ourselves, but for her as well,” said Pickett. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family.”