My heart goes out to Ed Romaine and his family on Long Island in the aftermath of the untimely passing of Ed's son, Brookhaven Councilman Keith Romaine.

At age 36, Keith was a leader in his community and in the Republican Party. Tragically, Keith passed away as a result of complications from pneumonia, just two weeks after he was re-elected to the town council.

I met Keith twenty years ago while a volunteer on his father Ed's campaigns for Congress and local office in Suffolk County, New York where I went to college. Keith was just 16 then, but he was already involved with his father's campaigns and public service. It's no surprise he would enter public life and serve his community as his father has for decades.

Keith's passing reminds us that life is precious.

Suffolk Times: Keith Romaine fought for what he believed in until the end