'Hometown hero': Longtime Jeannette police officer, Marine veteran known for work ethic, fairness

(Editor’s note: This is part of a series about Westmoreland County residents who have been honored as Hometown Heroes. The program honors local military and non-military heroes by displaying photos on decorative banners in area communities.)

Ray C. Leydig

Hempfield

1944-2020

A veteran of the Marine Corps, Ray C. Leydig inspired others during more than 30 years serving with the Jeannette Police Department.

That included other officers on the Jeannette force as well as his son, Eric, who is the chief probation officer in Westmoreland County’s adult probation office.

“He was the reason why I obtained a degree in criminal justice, because of his occupation and what he had accomplished,” Eric Leydig said of his father.

Ray Leydig, of Hempfield, died in 2020, at 76, after a long battle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic disease that affects the tissues surrounding the air sacs in the lungs.

Leydig advanced to the rank of captain before retiring from the police department in 2005.

“Even when he became a supervisor, he was one who would always answer the calls with everyone else,” his son said. “All of the officers he worked with would look up to him. He worked hard and was very respected in the community.”

As a drug task force member, Leydig took part in undercover work to help crack down on illicit drugs.

“He was proud of helping to clear the streets of drugs,” said Stacey Rehak of Hempfield, one of his two daughters, “He was a strait-laced guy, but sometimes he had to act like a thug when he was undercover.”

Leydig didn’t hesitate to put his body on the line when literally tackling crime. Rehak related one such encounter her father had while on duty.

“One time he was on a call for a Peeping Tom,” she said. “He came upon the suspect, who was hiding in some hedges and had a gun. My dad was able to wrestle the gun off the perpetrator, but he had his finger bent back and had to have metal pins put in it.”

Leydig’s gentler side was on display during another aspect of his job, giving crime prevention talks to local schoolchildren as part of the McGruff the Crime Dog program.

“He was tough on the outside, but he had an enormous heart that really shone through to us kids,” said Leydig’s other daughter, Dawn Hudock of Derry Township.

He developed a reputation for fair enforcement of the laws of the land.

“People would come up to me and say, ‘Your dad pulled me over and he was really fair with me.’” said Eric Leydig. “What he instilled in me is that people are human and people make mistakes. Just because you make a mistake doesn’t mean you’re a bad person.”

In addition to serving his community as a police officer, Ray Leydig worked for a company, Schaad Detective Agency, that provided security for the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

“It was a company that handled the tolls for the turnpike,” said Leydig’s wife, Cookie. “He was the head of running that in this area. He did the job himself several days a week.

“They had to pick up and secure the money from the toll booths. It never looked like a security truck.”

Leydig didn’t speak much about his experiences when he was deployed in Vietnam, but he was proud of his military service in 1962-1966. A sergeant with the Marines, he wore a Corps ring and hat and was a member of the Youngwood Veterans of Foreign Wars post.

“He did suffer from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder),” said his wife. “A lot of his friends didn’t make it back.”

“We’re so thankful he came back,” said Hudock, who was born while her father was overseas. “A buddy from North Carolina got blown up not too far from my father. He would tear up remembering his friend.”

Until his lung condition became debilitating, Leydig enjoyed an active life that included leisure travel to destinations including the Caribbean as well as hunting and fishing trips with family.

“He was just always on the go,” Rehak said.

Eric Leydig said the example set by his father “really helped me excel in my career. I’m constantly trying to do more and do better.”