A few memories I wanted to share. I met Zach through the community of people I found at Grand Valley State University. He and Mel were definitely love at first sight. I remember one evening some of us had come home and Mel was not feeling well. Zach was tending to her lovingly. The way that he took care of her was beautiful, loving, and devoted; it stuck with me forever.
One summer we spent time at Mel’s cabin, and there was a monsoon that hit us while we were in the car after we ordered our ice cream cones. So we happily sat eating our delicious treat, and at one point Mel and Zach, seated in the front, turned around and we took a picture of them smiling like little kids eating their treat. I think that’s a pretty accurate representation of them. Joy, creativity, love, perseverance — all of that is part of who I remember them as a couple.
One last memory was when Zach was trying to make a sort of music studio in his room. We all came over to the house, and he had this special fabric material he was putting on the walls to soundproof it so that the music would sound great when he was recording. He played the piano for us; I think it was maybe a song he was working on at the time. It sounded so good I couldn’t help but sing myself a tiny little piece ad lib. His siblings and his parents were great hosts, and it’s a fun memory I have of all of us hanging out.
God bless you guys as you work through this season.