Charles Fortenbacker, born on Stonehouse Road in 1930, was remembered on Tuesday as a beloved family member, a community volunteer who helped build the first Little League field, and a longtime township police officer and chief, one respected by his colleagues, friends and even those he arrested.

Fortenbacker, 81, who died last week, was laid to rest on Tuesday following a funeral Mass at St. James Roman Catholic Church, attended by a majority of the police department he helped to build. He was a member of the township police force for 42 years and served as police chief between 1991 and 1998, when he retired.

Fortenbacker had joined the police force in 1955, when Bernards Township had only three officers. At that time, the township had no traffic lights, he recalled when he spoke at the township's "250 Years of Memories" in 2010.

Also in uniform alongside the line of blue, members of the Liberty Corner First Aid Squad showed up to honor the man who was one of their charter members when the squad was created in 1965. Fortenbacker also was a member of the Liberty Corner Fire Co., where he served as secretary.

"It's guys like him who made Basking Ridge what it is today," said his son, Craig Fortenbacker.

Fortenbacker also was remembered as a loving grandfather, father and husband to his wife, Carmen. "Being neighbors on Stonehouse Road led to being married for 55 years," their son said.

Fortenbacker's smile also sparked several memories.

"Towards the end, he never lost his sense of humor," Craig Fortenbacker said.

"The biggest smile I ever experienced was his," said Msgr. William Capik, who led Tuesday's Mass.

Fortenbacker had attended Liberty Corner School through the middle grades, and also was a star baseball player at Bernards High School, attended by Bernards Township residents in the 1940s. He graduated from Bernards High School in 1948, and proudly served with the U.S. Marines in Korea, reaching the rank of sergeant, his son said.

Craig Fortenbacker said his New Year's resolution was to become a better man, even half the man his father had been.

"He was very well respected both by his peers and even those by some of those he arrested," his son said.

Bernardsville Councilman Joe Rossi said Fortenbacker was a "family friend...a great individual" and an in-law in his family. Fortenbacker guided individuals as well as leading the police department and community in the right direction, Rossi said.

Many residents don't stop these days to think about the days when Fortenbacker and his friends built the Little League field for local kids, Rossi noted.

"Charlie was a fixture as long as I can remember," said Township Committeeman John Carpenter, who moved to Basking Ridge in 1969.

As stated in his obituary by Gallaway & Crane, Fortenbacker "joined the Bernards Township Police Department in 1955, under the late Chief Harry Allen as a special police officer and became a patrolman in 1956. At that time, the BTPD was a three member department. Charlie graduated fourth from the New Jersey State Police Academy in 1956, in a class on 52 municipal offices.

"He was promoted to Sergeant in 1960 when the department expanded to five officers. He attended many police oriented classes that included drug enforcement, radar enforcement, organized crime, and emergency management. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1967.

He graduated from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia in 1976, being the first Somerset Hills Police Officer to graduate from the Academy. He was promoted to Captain in 1976, then Chief in 1991." He retired seven years later when the department had 29 officers, the obituary said.

Fortenbacker was a lifetime member of The International Association of Chiefs of Police, according information on to the IACP website.

According to the obituary, Fortenbacker was born June 9, 1930 on Stonehouse Road in Basking Ridge. He excelled in baseball at Bernards High in 1947 and 1948, making All County team in both years and first team all-state in 1948, earning him a tryout with the St. Louis Browns. He was inducted into the Bernards High Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000.

He was a part of the township's 250th anniversary celebration in 2010, in which he was one of the guests to appear at Ridge High School's "250 Years of Memories."

Fortenbacker, then 80, was on hand to speak directly to the audience near the end of the show. In his speech, he recalled the township having only three officers when he joined the force. The department had grown to 39 officers in 2010, he noted, although that number more recently has been 38 officers.