The North Texas football community is rallying around one of its alumni after a sudden snowstorm claimed the life of his wife while they were hiking.
Justin Claborn, a former UNT linebacker and fullback who played for the Mean Green for four seasons beginning in 2000, is recovering in Oklahoma City after he and his wife, Sybil Claborn, were trapped in a snowstorm while hiking in Washington.
The couple were in the Enchantments core zone in the Cascade Mountains when the snowstorm hit on Sept. 13.
Justin Claborn was rescued but his wife and the mother of their three daughters did not survive. Justin Claborn has since returned to the family’s home in Oklahoma City and is recovering after suffering from hypothermia.
Family members and friends have set up a GoFundMe account to benefit Justin Claborn and his daughters — Nola, Camille and Vivian — that has raised more than $105,000 as of Monday afternoon.
Claborn was active in the UNT alumni community. Former Mean Green offensive lineman Andy Brewster had gotten to know Sybil Claborn through the years.
“Sybil was a perfect match for Justin,” Brewster said. “She kept him in line. Justin isn’t the life of the party but is a part of it. She was like that and was an amazing mother and a great person.”
A visitation for Sybil Claborn will take place Wednesday in Oklahoma City with the funeral to follow on Thursday.
“I’ve seen a lot of names of former players pop up on the fundraiser,” said Scott Hall, a former UNT quarterback who played with Claborn. “I’ve also had a lot of guys reach out to me wondering if they can help, asking when the services will be or saying that they will be there. A lot of people want to help.
“The community there in Oklahoma City has done a really good job of rallying around them.”
Justin and Sybil Claborn were hiking in the Cascades when they were caught in the snowstorm.
The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office detailed what transpired over the next few hours in a news release.
According to the release, the couple was stranded at an elevation above 7,000 feet about 8 to 10 miles from either trailhead, were soaked and didn’t have the equipment to spend the night.
Two attempts were made to evacuate the couple via helicopter but were unsuccessful due to poor weather conditions. A Chelan County Mountain Rescue team reached them a few hours later. Sybil Claborn had died by that point, while Justin Claborn was suffering from severe hypothermia.
He is expected to spend the next few weeks recovering in Oklahoma City with the support of his family, friends and former teammates. Claborn was a member of UNT’s first three Sun Belt Conference championship teams in a four-year run of championships from 2001-04.
“The family has a long road ahead of mourning and recovery,” Hall said. “It will be a whole new life for them. The GoFundMe will be very helpful so that he can make decisions for the girls that are right and aren’t based on the pressure of finances in the short term.”
BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870 and bvito@dentonrc.com.
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