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Services Set For Leonia Man, 18, Who Drowned In Rockland Lake

LEONIA, N.J. -- A funeral Mass was scheduled for Saturday for an 18-year-old Leonia man who drowned in Rockland last week.

"One of the most amazing, loving and selfless man I've ever known. I love you, Luke," Tru Loren wrote.

"One of the most amazing, loving and selfless man I've ever known. I love you, Luke," Tru Loren wrote.

Photo Credit: COURTESY: Tru Loren (https://www.gofundme.com/for-lukes-funeral-services)

Visiting hours for Luke Rambharose are from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at Ebenezer Baptist Church, 216 4th Street in Englewood, where the funeral will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday.

A GoFundMe page established to help the family cover funeral expenses had gathered more than $15,000 as of Monday. The original goal was $9,000.

"Lukey made it his job to make people smile," wrote Lucy Cristiano. "The happiness of others was so important to him, which is why so many of us are in mourning. 

"Even if you barely knew him, he was always looking out for everyone, and he is the reason for so many smiles and so much laughter," she added.

ALSO SEE: Shock, Sadness Follow 18-Year-Old Leonia Man's Drowning Death

Rambharose was cliff-jumping and swimming with friends at Pine Meadow Lake in Harriman State Park last Thursday when he went under, a source with direct knowledge of the incident told Daily Voice.

The heavily wooded area is reachable via ATV.

What happened wasn't immediately clear, although friends said Rambharose had asthma. CPR efforts were futile after his body was pulled from the water around 3:30 p.m., authorities said.

"So sad," a Leonia High School friend told Daily Voice. "I loved the kid."

Rambharose "stayed in Chorus for years, yet never sang loud enough to let you hear," classmate Max Wang wrote. "Yet never will his voice sink beneath flashes of our memories."

"My first year of high school went by so quickly and you put nothing but a huge smile on my face by telling me not to stop trying," friend Rori Stewart wrote in a Facebook tribute. "You always pushed me and made me work for what I wanted.

"All you did was grind and put your mind to whatever you wanted to happen."

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