NORTHGLENN, Colo. — A woman shot to death Saturday in an apparent murder-suicide was a revered figure in Colorado’s Latino community for her decades of work to improve the lives of others.
The Adams County Coroner’s Office has not made public the names of the two people who died in Northglenn, but her family identified the woman as Lucille Ruibal – a self-proclaimed “proud Chicana” known for her involvement in multiple projects.
Ruibal’s son, True Apodaca-Cobell, said his mother and her longtime boyfriend were in the midst of a breakup. Ruibal's boyfriend shot her, then took his own life, according to Northglenn police – an incident that sent shockwaves through those who knew her.
“She was just this incredibly vibrant person,” said Jim Garcia, with whom she helped launch what is now Tepeyac Community Health Center. “She was a professional photographer. She just enjoyed life. ...
"She really was the type of person that would do whatever it took to improve people's lives. And so, she's going to be missed deeply by our community.”
Her son called her a “force of nature.”
“The last couple of days, I realized, like she was mama bear to everybody,” Apodaca-Cobell said. “Not just, you know, not just me and her kids – but the entire family, her adopted family, her colleagues. And my mom is – has been – like the mama bear for the community for as long as I can remember.”
On the floor of the Colorado Senate, Sen. Dafna Michaelson Jenet, a Democrat who represents Adams and Arapahoe counties, rose and called Ruibal “a tremendous woman” and called for a moment of silence “in memory of this woman who contributed much to the community in art and medicine and in ways that will last beyond her years here on earth.”
The senate observed a moment of silence, and the capital’s chimes were rung.
Northglenn police spokesman Jim Burlison said officers were called just before 9 p.m. Saturday to the home Ruibal owned in the 11700 block of Delaware Court. When they arrived, they found both her and her boyfriend dead.
Garcia said he was working to launch what was originally known as Clinica Tepeyac and looking for someone with medical experience to help.
“I was told the person I should talk to is this woman named Lucille Ruibal,” he said.
At the time, she was managing a clinic for Denver Health, and she agreed to come on board.
That first year, they operated in a 750-square foot bungalow in north Denver and saw a few hundred people.
Last week, Garcia saw Ruibal for the last time – giving her a tour of the new 25,000 square foot Tepeyac Community Health Center. It’ll one day be able to care for 15,000 patients annually.
Garcia said Ruibal gave no hint there were any issues at home.
“She's was a very strong woman who, you know, if something was going on that concerned her she would have taken action,” he said. I just believe it was something that was one of those random acts of violence.”
Ruibal worked to support art and artists through the Chicano Humanities and Arts Council, and over the years she was involved in numerous projects.
“My mom always said, ‘but for the grace of God, there I go,’” Apodaca-Cobell said. “Like, she would always see herself as just one step away from needing that help.”
He said in the past two days he’s heard from many people touched by his mother’s work.
“My mom was somebody who would give and give and give,” Apodaca-Cobell said. “I think that's the other part – right? Like, we learned a sense of generosity from her in ways that – it’s not just monetary, but she gave love unconditionally, she gave time support and she wanted to lift (others) as she rose. And so any success she had, she'd always attribute it to the work she did with other folks.”
The Chicano Humanities and Arts Council said in a statement that Ruibal, who was vice chair and a CHAC member for decades, was a "passionate and generous leader who was admired and loved by many."
"Our entire community has been devastated by the violent and senseless act of domestic violence that took her life on Saturday night," the statement said in part. "... Her deep commitment to CHAC was instrumental in the recent acquisition of a permanent home for CHAC back in Santa Fe Arts Dist. She believed deeply in the legacy of CHAC and the need to pass down this legacy to future generations."
Plans for a memorial service are pending.
If you or anyone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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