Warm, loving, unselfish, too short!
Zak was an all-around good guy, the type who would give you his last bite of food, or his last dollar if he thought it would help you. “He was 32 years of fun-loving happiness,” his grandmother, Terry, stated.
Terry described Zak as “the most loving, tender, caring person. Zak loved everyone and everyone loved him, though someone didn’t because they murdered our sweet boy,” Terry stated. The drugs he was given were laced with fentanyl. “Zak would never have left his family willingly,” Terry said.
Zak’s parents, Stephanie and Sean, divorced when he was young. Zak loved doing things with his family. He enjoyed family get-togethers and vacations to the mountains and the beach, which was his happy place. His love of outdoors led him to fish and hunt. An ardent fisherman, he often entered fishing tournaments.
Zak quit school when he was 16, but his mother, Stephanie, insisted he get his diploma. He eventually earned his GED. It was a proud accomplishment for him. He did various kinds of work over the years, but his favorite was working with his hands and helping others. He laid a concrete walkway for his grandmother and did carpentry work. Zak could accomplish anything that he had an interest in. He liked gardening and raised beautiful orchids. His most recent hobby was carving fishing lures from a special kind of wood. He also played the guitar and sang and coached little league baseball. The kids all loved him.
Zak had one brother, John Wesley. They dearly loved each other. He also had many friends, but his wife, Kaycie, was his best friend. He showed his appreciation for her, often bringing her flowers. They loved being together, taking nature walks and exploring with their children, Kaleb Chase, eleven, Callie Grace, nine, and Emory Rayne, five. Kaycie was the primary income earner in the family, leaving Zak free to stay home with the kids, which brought them very close. Besides their three living children, Kaycie, and Zak had two “angel babies.” Zak’s biggest desire in life was to see his children grow up to be happy and successful adults.
“Drugs change everyone,” Terry stated. “Zak was no exception.” He told his family he wasn’t doing drugs and could make them believe him, and they wanted to. They knew someday that drugs would take his life, but prayed daily that they were wrong. “He fought the demons daily, hourly, and every minute of the day,” his grandmother recalled. “His life ended way too soon… the demons won.” Still, his family was, and are now, very proud of him. They miss his unique “Zak hugs.”
Terry recounts how she prayed every day for Zak. She could not sleep or enjoy her life. She kept wondering how to get through to Zak, to help him stop. Like many others, Terry is left with regrets that she didn’t do more to prevent his death. “Now that he has passed, I have so many empty dreams. The grief never goes away, in fact, it is worse,” she stated. She hopes that she can prevent others from doing the same thing, especially Zak’s children.
Terry finished with this thought: “I have come to realize that substance use disorder is a disease that can attack anyone. I love to talk about Zak and encourage others to talk about him. I can’t change what happened, but maybe I can make a difference in someone else’s life.”
Zakery’s grandmother, Terry Nayman, provided the information for this narrative.
August 10, 1990-August 18, 2022-Age 32
Portrait Artist: Shawn Faust
Narrative Writer: Barbara Francois
