A Town of Riverhead skate park was renamed Sunday in honor of Wesley Dean Ackley, a passionate skateboarder who worked to keep the park free and died of cancer at 27 in January. NewsdayTV's Drew Scott reports. Credit: Newsday/James Carbone; Photo Credit: Ken Sawchuk

As Jake Ackley stood with friends on a bright Sunday afternoon near the newly unveiled sign bearing his late older brother’s name at a Riverhead skate park, he was reminded of what his beloved brother stood for.

“It’s his legacy. It’s his purpose,” said Ackley, 24, of Riverhead, of his brother, who more than a decade ago successfully advocated for Riverhead officials to not charge nonresidents $100 for season passes to the skate park at a time when the town was losing money on the facility.

More than 100 people gathered at Stotzky Park’s skate park for its official renaming as the Wesley Dean Ackley Skate Park, honoring the Riverhead High School alum who died in late January after battling rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer that affects soft and connective tissues or bones. He was 27.

Family and friends of Wesley Ackley said at the Sunday ceremony that skateboarding was a passion of Wesley’s — and he couldn't get enough.

“He really loved skateboarding,” said Mike Grabowski, 45, of Elmont, who knew Wesley through the Cedarhurst-based skateboarding group Thumbs, which Wesley joined years ago. “He was like an old soul; he had history that someone his age shouldn’t have skateboarding … he was a good dude.”

Even while battling cancer, Grabowski said Wesley maintained a bright and positive attitude, and was driven to recover so he could resume traveling and skating with the group. When his cancer had temporarily gone into remission, Wesley rejoined the group, traveling to Orlando, Florida, and other places.

“He was hard on himself because he wanted to be who he was, but we were just inspired by the fact that he couldn’t walk two months before that,” Grabowski said. “To the end, he was fighting … skateboarding kept him alive.”

To preserve his legacy, Chris Patti, 28, of Riverhead, Wesley’s best friend since childhood, announced Sunday that a GoFundMe campaign has been launched in Wesley’s memory to rebuild the skate park, with a goal of $200,000.

Paco Noberto, 44, of Elmont, also a member of Thumbs, described Wesley as a “great, great kid” who never hesitated to help others.

“He was always willing to help everyone; he was always guiding kids younger or his age,” Noberto said. “He just focused on doing the right thing, and he always wanted to do right and help people out. And he definitely did. He didn’t realize it, but he did.”

Full of emotion and with his wife and Wesley’s mother, Christine Ackley, looking on, Shawn Ackley, Wesley’s father, thanked everyone in attendance, saying that they all directly or indirectly touched Wesley’s life.

“I think the message Wes would want to share with all of us today is to live life to the fullest, and to leave a positive mark where you can,” Shawn Ackley said.

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