08/19/2026
In the span of less than a week, the extended Monterey Bay Academy community has lost two individuals who touched the lives of generations of students who passed through the halls of MBA. Lisa Lara, the longtime cafeteria director, passed away on Wednesday, August 5, and Glenn DeWitt, founder and owner of Rainbow Fin and an employer of hundreds of students at Rainbow over the years, passed away on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. The impact these two individuals have had on countless lives across a broad range of communities is immeasurable, and we may never know until Resurrection Morning just how many lives they influenced.
Glenn’s family—Kathy, Sarah and Mateo, Shawd and Kym—lost a husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Lisa’s family—David, Melissa, Michelle and Jake, and Gabe—lost a wife, mother, and grandmother.
To the DeWitt and Lara families, you spent your lives under their influence. You, more than anyone, will know that thousands of students whose lives these amazing souls touched also lost a mentor, a gentle guide, a caring counselor, an unwavering supporter, a vigorous encourager, a loving critic, and a patient work supervisor. Many even lost someone who played the role of a parent when no other adults in their lives were able to fill that role.
The MBA family will feel the loss of these two keenly. In their own humble way, neither one would have seen it in themselves, but they have been—and will continue to be—pillars in the MBA community. Their influence will not be felt directly anymore, but we can ensure that it will be felt for generations to come because so many of us whose lives they touched choose to continue their legacy of love and support for those who need a mentor, guide, counselor, or encourager.
Are we up for the task? We may not feel like it, but I wonder how Glenn and Lisa would have responded had they been asked that question. Flaws and all, we who remain might be the only way someone we know will experience their influence. We encourage all members of our extended MBA family to take the words of our school mission statement to heart:
We exist to introduce students to a Love so compelling
that they spend the rest of their lives pursuing its Source.
May each one of us pursue God, the Source of all that is good, allowing the love of Jesus to flourish in our hearts so that Glenn and Lisa’s influence might continue to be felt in the lives of another generation of young people.
Until resurrection morning, when we see Glenn and Lisa again, this is our calling and our duty.
