Zachary Vandervelde "Zach" Zarr

Found his peace on Friday, May 4, 2018, at age 25. Beloved son of Steve and Laura. Loving brother to Sarah.

Zach was an amazing young man who faced numerous challenges throughout his life without complaint. When Zach was young, he liked to challenge the  status quo and definitely thought outside the box. Thinking back on his life, it’s clear he thought about things, interacted with individuals and basically lived his life from a completely different perspective   It was only this past fall when he was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum and as having schizophrenia that we realized just how difficult life must have been for him.

Despite the challenges he faced, Zach worked the last couple of years at ICM Corporation which he loved.   Subsequent to his diagnoses, Zach worked closely with a wonderful therapist and made great strides in understanding his condition and improving himself with a focus on the future. Our family also went to therapy and gained a greater understanding of just who Zach was, how he communicated and how we could better communicate with him.  As a result, the last six months with him have been a gift that our family will always treasure. After 25 years of quietly struggling with the challenges of autism and later on schizophrenia, Zach took his life and finally ended his battle.

A Memorial Service in celebration of Zach’s life will be held at  Grant Park, Picnic area 5A, 100 E. Hawthorne Avenue, South Milwaukee, WI 53172, on June 5, 2018, at 11:00 AM-11:30 AM. Following the service will be a picnic lunch. All are welcome.

 In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to either:

Brain & Behavior Research Foundation

Autism Speaks.org