Friends remember Zachary Crays

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Friends of 13-year-old Zachary Crays gathered to share memories Tuesday night. Crays died after apparently being electrocuted while at Lake Freeman Sunday. A water soaked electrical junction box was found near the metal dock.

"He was a really good friend," Brandon Gawlik said after the memorial gathering.

Goofy, energetic, fun-loving, bright, thoughtful, athletic and stud were just some of the words students, teachers and parents used to describe Crays during a memorial gathering at Tecumseh Junior High School. Principal Brett Gruetzmacher and grief counselor Sally Downham-Miller spoke to a crowd of about 150 people on how to deal with losing their young friend.

"For some of our students, this will be the first time that they are dealing with death with someone that is close to them," Gruetzmacher said. "We want to make sure they have the opportunity to tell how they feel and get help if they need it."

"You can help yourself go through grief by remembering in a normal, easy, comfortable, delightful, fun-loving way," Downham-Miller said.

She also told the crowd that comforting each other and crying were ways to deal with their grief. She encouraged them to write about how they feel or even text each other to discuss how they are feeling. She said it is important to share memories of their friend with each other.

That is exactly what they did, sharing stories and memories of their time with Crays, who pitched on a travel baseball team.

"When we were facing Carmel and we went in extra innings, he pitched all nine and I made the game winning RBI," Gawlik said, sharing one of his memories of his friend.

"He was one of the funniest guys I knew," Mitchell Becker said. "Zach was a really good athlete and he will really be missed."

Friends left flowers, baseballs, balloons, stuffed animals, cards and notes next to a tree outside the school. Many parents who brought their children to the gathering also shared memories of Crays.

"He was very outgoing, smiling, goofy and full of life," parent Michael Bloom said. He also shared a story about taking Crays to Omaha, Nebraska for the College Baseball World Series.

"He was my son's friend. He was like another son to us. We were blessed to have him spend a lot of time this summer with our family," shared parent Jackie Becker after the memorial gathering.

The viewing for Zachary Crays will be Wednesday from five to eight p.m. at Soller Baker Funeral Home in Lafayette.
 

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