Waterford — Oh, to find the muse inside that would help with the right words to frame her 29 years of work. Except that there is no one story or anecdote that properly outlines what Colleen Lineburgh means to the 06385.

Sure, she got a standing ovation at the basketball game the other night in homage to her recent retirement and her three decades of teaching and coaching at Waterford High.

Sure, her son, Tim, likes to tease her by calling her the "Jim Calhoun of Unified Basketball."

Sure, it's been our guilty pleasure over the years listening to her soliloquies when some tightwad approached the ticket table with a song and dance about not having to pay get into the X.

But really, isn't there anyone out there whose words can illuminate the contributions of the town's de facto matriarch?

We'll try here with Barack Obama:

"If you listen to the truth that's inside yourself, even when it's hard, even when its inconvenient, people will notice," he said once. "They'll gravitate towards you. And you'll be part of the solution instead of part of the problem."

That's Colleen. They gravitated toward the woman who always did what was right. Not convenient. And she was always part of the solution.

Lineburgh retired last week after her noble and necessary 29 years as the school's face of Unified Sports, the 2019 Connecticut High School Coaches Association Coach of the Year. Her affiliation with Special Olympics goes back 40 years. She coached Unified soccer, volleyball, bowling, cheer and basketball at Waterford, engaging and motivating the kids, ensuring them not merely equal opportunities in sports, but a place in the family.

She's a fixture at athletic events: taking tickets, keeping scorebooks, selling apparel, running clocks and washing uniforms. And she did with it with humor, candor, effort and a level of loyalty that adds to Waterford's lore and legend as the school whose modest size belies its success.

"Where to start trying to sum up Colleen? Her loyalty and commitment to her students and the entire Waterford school community goes above and beyond," baseball coach Art Peluso said.

"Every year I can count on her to follow me anywhere to do the baseball scorebook. Amity, Woodstock or Mars (she would find a way to get there). She also makes sure the uniforms are spotless. She bought the entire country out of Lestoil during the pandemic and she always lets me know what her in-game strategy would have been, whether I ask or not. She is a dear friend and adopted family member willing to help out at any moment.　A consummate team player with a big heart."

Peluso's not kidding about the Lestoil thing either. Even a few weeks before retirement, there was Lineburgh talking to yours truly about how she turned washing uniforms into an educational project with her students. On cue, student Peter Hynek began rattling off the steps to properly clean the worst stains out of the uniforms. As Hynek spoke, you just might have detected the proudest grin from his mentor.

"It's hard to put into words what Colleen has meant and continues to mean to us," Waterford athletic director Chris Landry said. "For me, she is a colleague, event worker, historian and my friend. She grew up here, she knows everyone, she knows the story on why certain things happened. When I have a question about something related to Waterford or Waterford sports, I find myself asking her.

"Above all, she is the constant reminder that it is about students and family. She loves her family and supports them. With that, she supports our student-athletes at the games and before the games even start. She and her students will clean uniforms and those that have stains that need to come out, she makes sure that the uniform is ready to go. She is retiring, but I do not expect her to be too far from 20 Rope Ferry Road."

Lineburgh's children inherited the same loyalty for the school and town. Her daughter, Meghan, works for Waterford Youth Services. Her son, Tim, is an assistant coach to Zeth Nolda in football and Bill Bassett in basketball. Their blood is Lancer Blue.

Happy retirement to this woman who personifies community. Here's hoping Landry is right and she's not a stranger to all the kids and all the games.

"Colleen is a Waterford legend," Landry said. "I cannot thank her enough for all she has done for me and for Waterford High."

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro