NORTH GREENBUSH – Raymond Swart Jr. enjoyed sharing his knowledge and mentoring younger firefighters and rescue squad members, according to those who knew the one-time chief of the Defreestville Fire Department.

The married father of two young boys was also a long-time member of the Waterford Rescue Squad.

"He was a great mentor to many younger firemen and EMS personnel as well," said North Greenbush Deputy Supervisor and Councilman Joe Bott. "If you talked to anybody, they would tell you what a great guy Ray was."

After a long battle with pancreatitis — inflammation of the pancreas – that led to other health problems, Ray died over the weekend. He was married with two young sons.

The Defreetsville Fire Department posted the news on its Facebook page shortly before 2 p.m. Sunday.

Less than an hour later, a similar message that ended with "Rest easy Chief, we will take it from here," appeared on the Waterford Fire Department Facebook page.

Citing the family's desire for privacy, Defeetsville Fire Chief Brian McCrae declined comment.

As of Monday afternoon, a GoFundMe "Rally for Ray' fundraising campaign had raised $18,945.

Swart had served as the chief of operations for the Waterford Rescue Squad. He worked in Waterford since 1995. He was an active firefighter for more than 30 years.

Swart, the crowdfunding site says, had suffered with pancreatitis for more than 20 years and as a result was "in and out of medical facilities for various procedures." One of those most recently left him critically ill, fighting multiple complications, including sepsis, said the website.

"The focus of Ray's career with both WRS and DFD has been to educate people and provide top quality first responder care, whether medical or firematic," says the GoFundMe page write up.

One man who donated, commented that "it's the right thing to do for a man who dedicated his life to helping others."

Besides contributing directly to the site, anyone wanting to help out the Swart family can write a check to the "Rally for Ray Swart Fund' and mail it to the Defreestville Fire Department, 350 North Greenbush Road, Troy, NY, 12180.