I did not know Ray Fettig personally, but I sure know a lot about him now. Raymond J. Fettig passed away on Dec. 31, 2006. His wake was last Friday night. Anytime a community member passes away it affects more than just the immediate family. The word spreads of their passing and the normal chain of notification takes place. What alerted me that this man was someone extraordinary was, to use a contemporary term, the amount of "chatter" resonating throughout the community. I received calls from residents, community leaders and school district personnel. Over the years, Ray served as a board member of the Farmingdale Soccer League, a league director of Farmingdale PAL, a coordinator for Farmingdale Baseball League, a cub master of Pack #607 and a coach/manager for the respective leagues. Ray devoted his time to the children of this community. As his eyesight and health failed over the last few years, he still did what he could for soccer and is probably best remembered as being Soccer Sal's "co-pilot." After listening to all the conversations the past few days, I realized I did know of Ray. He was the guy who was always at the concession stand at Allen Park, he was the guy who was lining the fields, the guy ordering the jerseys, coordinating the umpires and countless other behind-the-scenes jobs. His wake was a virtual who's who of community leaders-board members from the Farmingdale Youth Council, Farmingdale Soccer, Farmingdale PAL, Farmingdale Baseball, school board members, Supervisor John Venditto and Councilman Joe Muscarella. Ray was remembered as an inveterate volunteer who dedicated his life to coaching, teaching and assisting the children of our community. He coached, he managed, he umpired, he gave his time and then he gave more time. We never know how one person touches someone's life. I certainly can tell you, hearing the tributes to him, that Ray touched many, many lives. Softly guiding, encouraging, teaching children of all ages. He did so without complaints and without any thoughts of personal gain. He was there for the children and he was always there with a smile and with something nice to say. He will certainly be missed. Ray's daughter Patricia, during his eulogy, asked that to honor her father that everyone tries to do one unselfish act of kindness each day. She said it didn't have be anything elaborate. Just smiling at a stranger, asking how your elderly neighbor is, assisting someone in need. It's a very simple request. Obviously if you have the time to coach or assist any one of our sports or community groups, that's even better. As I have said before, our community is extremely fortunate to have the many organizations that provide their programs for the good of us all. We are fortunate to have had Ray and to have the current board members, directors and coaches who unselfishly give their time. Let's all remember Ray by doing just what he would have wanted: Get involved, help out and just plain smile at our neighbors. A little bit of Ray will certainly go a long way!