Congratulations! It's well-deserved. :D
I don't think high rep is a must. There are plenty of active, engaged community members who have lower reputation. However, I remember @razvanelulmarin pointed something out to me sometime ago - that if you see someone with an over 70 rep, well, you know who you're talking to. I mean, they obviously did not come by that number easily, so it's obviously someone who has invested a considerable amount of time and effort into the community.
So, even though for some, the numbers are unjustly high, it's not the case for you:) Like you said, personal relationships should be the most important thing on here and from what I've seen, you've made a lot of those.