Scene Around: Reunited RFH Icons’ Family Prayers Answered

It was about time that three families of area icons reunited and said a little prayer or several together.

The time was Saturday and the prayers came in the form of a mass at Rumson’s Holy Cross Church for iconic Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) coaches/teachers Hal Lorme and Tom Botti and their wives, who had all passed away some time ago.

So, with all in the area invited to join, the families of the two and de facto iconic Sea Bright family, Fran Rooney Raffetto and her icon of a mom, 92-year-old Frances Rooney, of the infamous 50-year Mrs. Rooney’s Hot Dog Stand, got together to honor in prayer the Lorme and Botti couples.

And, along with the families who were raised together praying together for those gone, reuniting was great for all and it was “a lovely mass!!” Fran Rooney Raffetto, the Lormes’ goddaughter, said.

The families’ bond, she had said, is a foundational one that never cracks and stays strongly rooted in community ties with the best of memories of the past with many yet to be made.

So, on this one Saturday back in Rumson, the families prayed together, knowing they’ll always stay together. Prayers answered.

In case you don’t recognize them, in the front, from the left, is Fran Raffetto Rooney. That’s her mom, Frances Rooney, next to her. In the middle row is Tony Raio, Cindy Botti Morgan, Charlie Rooney (Fran’s brother and the junior to the former Sea Bright Mayor Charlie Rooney) and his wife, Marisol. And in the back row are Hal Lorme (junior) and his sons, Ryan and Matthew.