BY CHRISTINE VARNO
Staff Writer

Friends and family have organized on ocean swim in memory of Ray Licata (above). Below: Licata (center) on West End Beach, Long Branch, with friends Bill Krug (l) and Gabe Levy. LONG BRANCH –– When people ask what kind of man Ray Licata was, a close friend responds “he was a man who loved life, people and most of all, the beach.”

“What better way to remember him than to do the one thing he loved most, an ocean swim,” said Glen Rassas, who met Licata a decade ago on West End Beach in Long Branch.

Last August, Licata was enjoying his summer, doing what he did almost everyday, according to Rassas. He was at West End Beach in the late afternoon, swimming in the ocean he loved so much.

“He was the type of guy who would see someone on the side of the road with car trouble and even if he was in a rush, he would stop to help.” — Glen Rassas friend “He said he wasn’t feeling well that day and got out of the water to take a break,” Rassas said. “He collapsed on the beach and died soon after.”

Licata was just 59 years old and “the picture of health,” according to Rassas.

“He did everything right. He exercised, stayed fit and ate the right foods,” he said.

An autopsy showed no signs of a heart attack and the cause of death is believed to be an arrhythmia.

“We will never know [the actual cause of his death], Rassas said.

But Rassas and a circle of Licata’s close friends and family decided to sponsor an event in his memory.

The Ray Licata Memorial Long Branch Ocean Swim, co-sponsored by the Long Branch Department of Recreation, will be held on Aug. 21 at West End Beach.

The 1-mile swim will start at 8 a.m. at Morris Avenue Beach and head south to West End Beach. Cost per participant is $15.

“All money will benefit the Long Branch lifeguards and will be used to purchase at least one defibrillator,” Rassas said.

“Perhaps a portable defibrillator could have saved his life.”

Registration for the event will begin at 6:30 a.m. the day of the race at West End Beach. Those who want to support the benefit, but do not want to swim the mile, can participate in the 100-yard “fun swim” which will require a $10 donation.

There will be seven to eight age groups and prizes will be awarded to the first three male and female finishers in each group. Rassas said he is expecting more than 100 swimmers.

Commemorative T-shirts and ad booklets will be handed out at the event and bystanders are welcome to come out and support the swimmers, Rassas added.

“Swimming was a hobby for Ray,” Rassas said.

“He was always at West End Beach doing whatever he could to make the day a good experience for everyone at the beach.”

Licata, who raised his two children in Ocean Township after his wife died, was an administrator for the Monmouth County Division of Social Services for 34 years. He could often be seen on the Long Branch shore picking up trash on the beach or assisting the lifeguards on the beach if the water was rough.

“Ray took care of the beach,” Rassas said. “He knew the waters well and in those rare times when the lifeguard staff needed assistance or an extra set of hands, Ray was there.

“He just couldn’t give enough of himself.

“He was the type of guy who would see someone on the side of the road with car trouble, and even if he was in a rush, he would stop to help,” Rassas said.

“He showed people how to be better.”

Licata’s best friend of 20 years, Dale Mortenson, said he could write a book about his friend.

“I will always remember his great sense of humor,” Mortenson said. “Ray enjoyed people and enjoyed a good time.

“He touched so many hearts.”

But Mortenson added that Licata, or as he called him “Ray-Boy,” will always be remembered for his love of the beach.

“He loved the water and he loved the lifeguards,” he said.

“What better way to remember him than to have a swim in his name. It is a great benefit and could save lives in his honor.”

Rassas said that before Licata died, he was saying how wonderful it would be to hold a swim in Long Branch.

“He was talking about the swims that other communities host in the summer and said he wanted to bring one to Long Branch,” Rassas said.

“A few days after he passed away, [friends and family] decided what better way to remember him than to do this swim.”

Ray Licata Jr. said there would be no better way to remember his father.

“This is something my father talked about and something he really wanted to do,” he said. “My father was always helping people and now in his memory he is still doing that with this benefit.”

Since Licata had such respect for the lifeguards on the beach, it was decided that the money raised from the swim would purchase safety equipment, such as the defibrillators, for the lifeguard staff, according to Rassas.

“He recognized the importance of the lifeguard’s role,” Rassas said. “The lifeguards were so special to Ray, so he would be happy to know he was helping.

“I think he would have been in awe if he knew.”

The Ray Licata Memorial Long Branch Ocean Swim committee is still accepting sponsors. Sponsors or anyone who wants to participate or more information about the swim, can visit the Web site at RayLicataMemorialSwim.com.