The Lake Placid and worldwide Olympic communities are still struggling with the recent loss of Dmitry Feld, former U.S. Luge coach turned humanitarian, who passed away in January from leukemia at age 68. Those who knew and loved him will gather inside the Herb Brooks Arena next month to celebrate his life.

"You know, if there were a third more Dmitry Feld’s, one third more of Dmitrys in the entire world, what a great place this would be," Feld's longtime friend Jon Lundin said of a quote he first heard from USA Luge’s Gordy Sheer.

"I was born in Soviet Union. My family was military. My dad was in Soviet Air Force. So I was born way east. But when I was about three years old, my family moved to Kiev, which is capital of Ukraine," Feld said in 2021.

That was where Feld, at age 15, first fell in love with the sport of luge. A decade later, he would move to the U.S., just in time to see luge as an Olympic sport in Lake Placid.

"He was passionate about luge. She was passionate about the U.S. Luge Association," Lundin said.

By 1984, he was hired by USA Luge as a full-time coach.

"You could feel the passion that he had to work with you and the and the passion that he had for the athletes here," Lundin added.

Feld became the face of giving back, serving with numerous organizations, including as chair of the Shipman Youth Center, also organizing the 'I Love BBQ Festival,' which has raised nearly $400,000 for that center.

"He had this voicemail message about how he couldn't take your call," Lundin remembered. "But in the end, he would say ‘leave your credit card number’ and I would be willing to bet you more people than not left their credit card number with him. You couldn't say no."

And that effort to raise awareness and funds for those in need carried over into his involvement with humanitarian efforts in both Haiti and his war-torn home of Ukraine.

Feld not only raised the awareness and support of Ukraine throughout downtown Lake Placid, but also helping raise more than $100,000 in funding and donations, some of which he personally brought over to his country a couple of years ago.

"He, in any way he could, was going to try to make their life better," Lundin said.

Feld even helped ensure that Ukrainian athletes could come to Lake Placid to take part in events like the World University Games and World Cup competitions.

"Ukraine is going to win," Feld said about the war at the time. "But it's going to take a lot of effort on the part of the United States, Europe and individual people."

A celebration of life for Feld will be Tuesday, March 19 at 1 p.m. at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid.