Jerri Robertson, longtime supporter of APS athletics, dies at 84

Jerri Robertson was very much like a den mother to the players, coaches and fans inside the Albuquerque Public Schools athletic family.

And now that family mourns her passing.

Robertson, 84, died Monday from complications related to a broken hip she suffered while on duty at Wilson Stadium last September. She had been in hospice care.

“She went peacefully,” her son, Mike Robertson, said.

Mike Robertson said his mother went into rehab after suffering that hip injury, but didn’t recover.

Jerri Robertson for decades worked behind the scenes at APS, and was a warm and welcoming presence both at football games at Wilson Stadium and also at track and field meets, going back to the days when her husband Buddy was the district athletic director for APS.

She served in what amounted to a manager position at Wilson Stadium during football season. If you were a coach or fan, you may have seen the white-haired Robertson without realizing who she was and without knowing her years-long background in support of APS' sports bubble.

“I think that’s kind of how it is, my mom wanted to help people and take care of people,” Mike Robertson said. “If you needed something, you went to her.”

Robertson taught for 32 years, nearly all of them in APS. She worked at Wilson Stadium for 35 years, her son said. She and Buddy Robertson were married for 62½ years and were one of the city’s most enduring and recognizable couples in sports circles.

“It was always Jerri and Buddy,” Highland High athletic director John Barnhill said.

For many years, the two frequently collaborated on getting track and field heat sheets ready for local meets, mostly at Wilson and Milne Stadium.

“She did a lot of the work behind (the scenes) to make sure things flowed, and then my dad took it from there,” Mike Robertson said. “She loved it, because then she could go to the track and talk to (all) the people. She could see people and socialize.”

He added, “She really enjoyed sports, because I think she enjoyed watching kids grow. She really loved watching kids (compete).”

Robertson herself once was a swimmer, and swam for the University of New Mexico.

She is survived by her husband Buddy, and by her children, Mike, Thomas and Lyssa.

Her services have been scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at Asbury United Methodist Church, 10000 Candelaria Road NE.