Zachary William Fero

My beautiful son Zachary William Fero died July 22, 2019. He had recently celebrated a birthday on July 8 and even though I know that having him in our lives for 32 years is better than nothing, it will never have been long enough. A part of my heart is gone and I will never get it back.

Unfortunately, Zach was forced to endure a lot of pain and sadness throughout his life as he lost numerous family members and a few friends too along the way. He lost his best friend last year, his granny Joanne Elliott. I’m positive that if it were possible, his spirit would have found his granny somewhere and they’d be busy smoking a cigarette and laughing over one of granny’s stories from the old days. A story that he would have memorized through repetition and could have recited back to her, but would let her retell it anyway. 

The most impactful loss that Zach felt was the death of his dad Gary Fero when Zach was 15 years old. Lord only knows what those two would be up to by now, but at least Zach would finally be able to find the answers he had been searching for. May your spirit finally find peace my son. 

There are many of us who loved Zach and are struggling to find a way forward without him. His mom Terry and stepdad Dwayne Bolen, sister Megan Fero and her partner Vic, stepbrothers Devin and Tyler Bolen, and his beloved nana Carole Fero. Zach would have been lost without his nana’s unconditional love. There are others too such as Griff, who had been through thick and thin with Zach, and truly was the best friend he ever could have. There are also many true friends that know who they are. There may have been stretches of time where you lost contact, but it always made Zach happy when he would reconnect with you. 

From “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury:

Everyone must leave something behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or flower that you planted, you’re there. It doesn’t matter what you do, he said, as long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that’s like you after you take your hands away. 

That’s what Zach did. He touched our hearts in a million different little ways and changed us from the people we were before he entered our lives. Remember him when he was at his best, remember him with a smile.