Zachary Steven Gray, originally from Sitka, died Feb. 5 in Juneau, at age 25.
A celebration of his life will be noon March 15 at Riverbend Elementary School in Juneau. His ashes will be spread in Sitka, in late June.
Zachary was born July 2, 1989, in Sitka, the son of Kimberly Little and Steven Gray.
His dad was with Sitka Fire Department as a live-in, and Zachary grew up there, his dad said: “In his eyes, he was a firefighter, just like the rest of them.”
In 1995, Zachary moved to Juneau.He graduated from Juneau Douglas High School in 2007. He worked for the City and Borough of Juneau in waste water utilities from 2012 to 2015, and was working at Arrow Refuge in Juneau at the time of his death.
Among Zachary’s favorite pastimes were hunting and fishing, and softball.
Zachary is survived by his father and stepmother, Steven and Teresa Gray of Shelton, Wash.; his mother and stepfather Kimberly (Little) and Craig Rechin of Juneau; grandparents David Gray and Marie Howard of Excelsior Springs, Mo., and Randy Little of Juneau and Judy Little of San Antonio, Texas, and great-grandmother Julie Little, San Antonio.
His sisters Ann Marie and Alicia Gray of Shelton; uncle and aunt Roy Gray and Jacqueline Gray and cousin Devin Taylor, all of Excelsior Springs; aunt and uncle Allison Little Cheeseman and Leroy Cheeseman, and cousins Travis Godfrey, Kimberley Cheeseman and Chad Cheeseman, of Juneau; uncle and aunt Tom and Deborah Henderson, Covington, Wash.; cousins: Caleb and Noah Wright of Olympia, Wash.; and his girlfriend of six years, Darby Brown, from Juneau, also survive.
