COVE CREEK, N.C. — A volunteer firefighter killed in a crash Monday will always be remembered by the small Watauga County community of Cove Creek, the volunteer fire department's interim chief says.

Jay Kerley got his start at the Cove Creek Volunteer Fire Department, said Interim Fire Chief Steve Marks, who has worked with the organization since 2011.

He says volunteering in a small-town fire department is a calling. There are no fire hydrants, no paid staff members, just men and women who want to serve and train to do everything.

Marks says Kerley, a former assistant fire marshal and volunteer firefighter, was always learning.

Kerley was known for his smile, his infectious laugh and the impact that he had on the entire community.

"There are very few people that don't know the name Jay Kerley and haven't had the opportunity to experience his passion," Marks said.

On Monday morning, Marks says his fire department responded to a call just one mile from the station.

"When we got there some of the folks recognized whose truck that was," Marks said.

The N.C. State Highway Patrol says a suspected drunken driver ran off the road, overcorrected and then hit a vehicle coming the other direction. That vehicle then struck the one Kerley was driving.

Marks says the county is now grieving the loss of a man who touched so many. Kerley, who had an 8-year-old son, got married two weeks ago.

"When something as tragic as this — as preventable — occurs, you're going to have anger, and anger can be destructive, so we need to, and I think Jay would want us to, find a way to rid ourselves of that anger," Marks said.