I miss you Zachâ€¦a year and a half ago on March 23 (Zachâ€™s birthday) Zach gave me the most beautiful ring and asked me if I would promise that we would spend the rest of our lives together. Of course I said YES! He said that he couldnâ€™t imagine spending the rest of his life without me. I am now wondering how I am going to spend the rest of mine without him. I am thankful for the countless amazing memories I have of Zach and I. The day before Zachâ€™s passing we talked and reminisced about some of our favorite times together. I can still see his face and hear his voice. When Zach passed away, a huge part of me did too. To Don and Janine, you raised a strong, brave, and loving sonâ€”thank you. Zach is such a hero in so many ways and he will be remembered as such. Zach, you are in my every thought and always in my heart. I love you Zachary Tyler! Rest peacefully, love.

I am so sorry to here about Zach. He was a sweet kid growing up. And it sounds like he grew up to be a strong and brave man.I think him for fighting for our country. May he rest in peace. Deanna(Carey)Spallinger

I'm still thinking about you, missing and loving you Zach; I always will. Today, 9/11, was an important day to Zach, as it is to many of us. Although everyday and every extremely long night has been and will continue to be so difficult, it's days like today and birthdays, holidays, and personal, special days that Zach and I shared that will be excruciating for me. Zach, you were my past, present, and my future! I am so glad that we took every opportunity to tell each other how much we loved each other and to have fun together. Life is too short, but I am so thankful that I was such an important part of yours, Zach. Zach told me that before he met me he just existed but once we were together he lived. I really know now what he meant. A song Zach used to describe our love: "Until the end of time you're my soulmate. I'll love you till I get to heaven's gate, and if I go first sweetheart, I'll wait. 'Cause I know I'll never find another soulmate." Josh Turner. I will always love you Zach.

Kother Family - I am so sorry for your loss. Zach was a brave man and a true American hero who touched the lives of everyone he knew in a very special way. I also want to express my deepest sympathy to Zach's girlfriend, Lisa. Lisa, I can tell by your posts that you are really struggling with this loss. Although Zach is gone, he will always remain in your heart, and no one can ever take away all the great memories you and Zach had together. Lisa, you have to know that Zach wouldn't want you to be crying. He would want you to surround yourself with all the positive things you have in your life and to live your life to its fullest. The best tribute you could make to Zach would be to surround yourself with your loved ones, family and friends and as he always said "live each day as if it were your last." Remember that Zach is up there in heaven looking down at you and he wants you to stop your crying.

I miss u each day and night! I think of all the funny times we all had together!! Just wanted you to know still thinking about you and miss you terribly!! Love u Zach<3

Don and Janine,I saw Zach's obituary in the paper and said a quick prayer that it would not be your son but as I read on I saw it was. I am so sorry for your loss,my heart just breaks for you. zach sounds like a wonderful young man and may your memories support you thru this difficult time. although its been nearly 40 years since nurses training I have thought of you and don often and I just had to offer my sympathies to you both My prayers for your family love,Cathy

To the Kother/Harmony Family, It has taken me a couple days to bring myself to do this. A part of me still wants to believe this is all a bad dream. Words can't describe the way I feel right now. This is an incredible loss to so many. Zachary was truly the most amazing man I have ever met. He has always been there for me no matter what the situation. I have great memories of him and myself, good friends and family. I will cherish those forever. I have been blessed with his love for so many years, and I just thank god that I got to have such a special relationship and place in his heart. As times are going to be rough trying to grieve the loss of the love of my life, I will think of the stubborn, brave, courageous man with an amazing smile, an unforgettable laugh, and all the amazing times we had together. Love always, Ashley "Don't you cry tonight, I still love you baby" GNR Use Your Illusion I track 4

I will forever love you Zachary Tyler. Zach used to always tell me that we should always live our lives like it's our last day. I didn't realize how important that theory was until now! I keep thinking this can't be real; I keep checking my phone and coming home to the house Zach and i shared is so hard. It seems impossible to get through this right now but I just keep thinking of Zach's words. He told me that he and I were lucky to have found what most people search their whole lives to find....true love. He called me his soulmate, and he was my soulmate too. I am finding it hard to figure out how to go on without the man i was supposed to spend the rest of my life with. We all have a lot of healing to do, but I know Zach would want us to remember the good times! Thank you to the Kothers for helping me through this; you are an amazing family. I cannot begin to express how very sorry I am for your loss. I miss you and love you Zachary Tyler!

Zach has been a best friend to me for the last 4 years. He was such a warm, caring, honest and loyal person to anyone and everyone that knew him. He was the best friend anyone could ask for. I have so many memories of zach from high school and beyond. He was not ony the class clown but the life of the party. He will be greatly missed by all. Love you always and forever zach. My thoughts and prayers are with the kother family..

Dear Kother family, Words cant discribe how I feel right now. I remember years ago all the fun we had grow'n up, playn soccer together. Zach was a great frind and I will never forget my little buddy.

To my life, my love, and my very best friend. I know what zach would say to me right now; "Oh, quit your crying!" in that sweet voice of his with that amazing smile of his!! I have incredible memories with zach and photos of the two of us laughing and living over the last few years...one of my fondest memories is when zach and I went to a Josh Turner concert. The venue was practically next door to the hotel at which we were staying, but we didn't realize that...zach called us a cab because he didn't want me to have to walk in the rain! The cab driver said "are you sure?" The cab ride cost us $2!! We laughed so hard. Then we had an amazing time at the concert; zach was dancing and singing to me! Zach was such a fun and caring and loving man! He is also my hero...thank you zach for fighting for our freedom! Thank you for being you! I know somehow you'll always be with me. I'll see you when I get there. I will always love you zach.

Don and Janine, CJ just told me of your loss of Zach. I am so sorry and you are in my prayers. He was lucky to have such warm, loving people for parents. I know what a remarkable family you are from our times on the soccer circuit and I know you will get through this together. May God be with you and your family. How proud you must be of him. A Marine hero. There is none better. Love you guys, Bev Bandy

Susie and I are heart broken for your entire family. Know that you are in our thoughts and prayers. Best Regards, Duane

Angela and I would like to express our deepest thoughts to your loss. I have played soccer with Kyle and Cody and met Zach during soccer games. We are so sorry to hear the sad news. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your entire family. We admire all of Zach's accomplishments serving our country so proudly.

My families thoughts and prays go out to your family at this time. We are truly sorry for your loss. I wanted to first thank you for raising a son who was brave enough to serve his country so honorably. I hope you can find comfort in the fact that Zach is in a better place now. Words cannot express my family’s feelings of sorrow for your loss. God Bless the Kother Family.

I am so sorry for your loss. My condolences to you and your family. I will keep your family in my prayers. May you rest in peace. Thank you for serving our wonderful country.

Dear Kother Family, My heart was so saddened by the news of Zach's passing. I have fond memories of playing soccer with him in elementary school and then again in high school--we were co-captains with Matt McArty on our senior soccer team. I remember him not only as a skilled player but as a real leader of that team (I think we went 18-1-4 that year). Even more, I remember that he always seemed to be a straightforward and fair guy. One memory of him etched in my mind is that at one point during our senior year, a teacher was questioning and almost mocking my decision to become a pastor. Before I could even respond, Zach rose to my defense and said, "I can't believe you'd even question that. I think it's cool that B.J. would believe in something so much that he'd want to give his whole life to it." I have always appreciated that Zach did that for me. May God walk with you all during this season of loss and grief. Please know that I am praying for you. With Heartfelt Sympathy, B.J. Whitaker

My thoughts and prayers are with you at this time of grief. At times like these, "God is near to those who are broken at heart; And those crushed in spirit he saves." (Psalm 34:18) I hope this will bring you a measure of comfort. â€œDeath is an enemyâ€, as the Bible states, and â€œsoon it will be brought to nothingâ€ (1 Cor. 15:26) There will be no more tears, pain, or sorrow, as the former things will be passed away-Rev. 21:3,4. May your warm memories and sure scriptural hope sustain you at this difficult time.

Pudge theres so much you could say about him to know him was to love him. There's not many memories that i have from high school that doesnt have Pudge in, from ridin around in the neon with Faggboy before we had our license to sittin out at that oil wells to after prom at his house in the shed. Pudge was truly one of my closest friends and he will be missed deeply. its a very sad day for anyone that knew him my deepest apologies go out to the Kother Family at this time. I Love You Pudge your friend Doo Doo Brown!!

And when he gets to Heaven, To St. Peter he will tell, "Another Marine reporting, Sir, I've served my time in Hell!" Semper Fidelis brotherâ€¦.

I know I haven't talked with pudge since high school, but growing up we had the best of memories. My condolences to the Kother family. Zach, you will be missed by many. Dave, Sara, Laura, and Lydia Coe

I am so sorry to hear of Zach's passing. Shock is what I am sure so many of us are feeling. He was a good kid and will be missed greatly by many.

I can remember riding the bus with the little round guy all the way to and from school all through are younger years. I can still remember when we first started calling him Pudge. Zack was always a good friend, and we shared a lot of good times together. He fought for our Country and was almost taken from us over seas. You will be sadly missed my friend but never forgotten. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Kothers and their family. I'm here for you guys.

A friend up in heaven He flies for freedom but dies for the peace In the clouds, he waits for an answer It's strange here with out you And it's so hard to see So your up in heaven Wait up for me! His laughter, his smile lingers on It's strange here without you This was not meant to be So please wait up for me! In loving memory of Zachary Tyler Kother I will trully miss you, I rember when You, Shawn, Troy would come over to my parents house and my mom would bake cookies we would sit and play video games! I rember all the great times we got to hang out! I will never forget what a wonderful friend you were to me! I'm so greatful you served our country to protect us! Thank you Zach! My heart is in shock at this moment it hasn't hit me that you are gone! Just rember you were loved and will never be forgotten! To the Kother's I'm so sorry for your loss! You had a great brother and son!

To the Kother family,we are so sorry to hear of Zachs passing.He is no longer in suffering or in pain anymore, for he is now at home with the good lord. Our prayers and thoughts are with all of the Kother family. Zach will be truly missed. The Elmore's Roy,Cathy,Jesse,and Casey

Zachary Tyler Kother...I miss you already! As I told Zach nearly everyday, he was the strongest, bravest, most amazing man I have ever known. He touched so many lives, mine included. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to share my life with zach. I am a "city slicker," as Zach called me! He loved teaching me about Mechanicsburg living: hunting, fishing, mushroom hunting (which I didn't even know existed before I met zach)! I was lucky enough to know his soft side too; the most important thing he taught me is how to love and what it feels like to truly be loved. I have so many wonderful memories with zach! Family and the people he loved were the most important things in the world to Zach. Although I wish i would have had more time with zach and even though it hurts so much right now, I am so thankful for the time and fun that I was lucky enough to have! The Kothers are a wonderful, giving family; I am so sorry for their loss. I love you Zachary Tyler!

Cody, I'm so sorry for the loss of your brother. I know the pain that it brings to a family as I lost my sister when she was 34. I pray that you and your family will find peace and comfort from your extended family and friends, and know that we're all thinking about you. Georganne (Fitness Together)

My heart is broken for Janine, Don, Kyle, and Cody. All I know to do is to ask God to comfort each of you.

We are so sorry for your loss. Your entire family is in our thoughts and prayers.

I'm very saddened at the loss of a great friend. I have many fond memories of Zach and will never forget him. I send my sympathy to the Kother family. Rest in peace Zach, you will be truly missed.

We are so sorry to hear about Zach. We will always remember his smile at soccer. Deer hunting with Zach, Don and Matt is a wonderful father/son memory, as I'm sure you have many. You have our love and sympathy. Don and Marcia

I was truly sorry to hear of Zach's passing. I met Zach after high school and have some very good memories of hanging out together. We always had fun. Thank you for your services in the Marines and how you served our Country. Even though it's been a few years since I last saw you, I will truly miss having you around. My deepest sympathy to Kyle, Cody, and the entire Kother family. God Bless you all.

Don, Janine, Kyle and Cody: We would like to express our deepest heartfelt sympathies to each one of you. Zach was a great son, brother and American. His service to the country has and always will be greatly appreciated. Zach always made me feel welcome into your home, even when we overtook his room for days on end. The world has lost a truly outstanding young man. My family and I will always be there for each and every one of you. God bless you and Zach. With love and saddened hearts, James and Megan Doerfler and family

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family. Zack was good friends with my brother, David Coe, throughout grade school and high school. I have good memories of him hanging out at our house with David and friends. He was such a nice kid and so funny. He will be missed.

We send our deepest sympaphy to the Kother family in this time of grieving. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.There are several memories from high school years that include pudge.He will be GREATLY missed by many people!!! The Tanner's Justin,Rachel (Mendenhall) Kiersten & Kaleb

Sorry for your loss. Zach was a good friend.

Don, Janine, Kyle, & Cody, I am so sorry to hear about Zach. He will be dearly missed by the family. He is resting in peace in heaven with his Grandpa & Grandma Kother. Love, Jim, Tammy, Jamie, Jessica & Emily

My Thought an Prayers go out to Kother Family.. Zach was a Awesome Guy.. He will be Sadly Missed.. I'm SO Sorry for your Loss.

My condolences to the Kother family. I know from experience that loosing a loved one isn't easy, but God will see you through this. You're in my prayers.

Dear Kother Family, Words cannot express how truly sorry I am for you loss. Zach fought to protect us as a Marine, and I have faith that he will fight to protect your family now as an angel in Heaven. We will continue to hold your family in our hearts and keep you in our prayers. May God bless you during this time of sorrow. Beth & Brian Caton

Dearest Don & Janine, Kyle & Cody, We are so very, very sorry about Zac. He was so special in so many ways. I will always remember the fun and good times we had when the kids were little and what wonderful people they became as they grew up. You have our deepest sympathy and our prayers are with you and your family. Please know we are here for you. Love Cathy & Pat

Dear Kother Family, I am so sorry for your loss. I haven't seen Zach for quite some time, but he was a huge part of my childhood memories. Especially at the Kother's house playing games and camping. We will all miss him.

Our family sends many thoughts and prayers to the Kotherâ€™s. I will always remember Zach and his cute little smirk (smile) that we all loved. He was a very good friend and he had a very lovable soul. I am truly saddened by his passing. Rest in Peace Pudge.

Sorry for Zach's loss and condolences to his family. He was one of the good guys.

remember zach being good friends with my sons in high school. he used to come over and see us a lot. he was a good friend and we will all miss him. godspeed to you pudge till we meet again. love steve, jacob, and justin byerline.

I'm sorry to hear such traggic news of a friend....Zack and i have known each other sense jr.high i was lucky to enjoy many laughs as well as great times with him.... you will be missed by many my FRIEND....REST SOUNDLY

I seen your son's death in the paper and just wnated to let you know that i was sorry for your loss. Even thought I didn't know hime i'm proud that he served our country and helped keep us safe. My God be with you!! Rachel

Don, Janine,Kyle and Cody, words simply are not enough, we are deeply sorry for your loss Zach was a hero to his country and those who knew him. Having shared some of his experiences I know a little of the demons which he was faced, I wished I could have helped in some way. Our thoughts are with you and yours. Dave

Kothers, my condolences to you all at your time of loss. Zach was my best buddy growing up. I remember when Zach, Kyle and Cody came over to the house to camp out in our yard. Kyle, Brandon, and some of their buddies had their campsite further away from our campsite. I remember Zach and I trying to sneakingly low-crawl up to their tent to see what they were doing. Unfortunatley, they would bust us everytime and chase us back to our campsite threatening to beat us up if we didn't stay away. Later on that night it started pouring down and through our tent. Zach and myself started high-tailing it over to the other campsite and entered their tent, initially getting yelled at. After Zach started explaining that our tent had broken down and the rain started getting through, our older brothers got out of their tent in the pouring rain and went to go fix our tent. Although I think they did it just because they wanted us to stop drenching their tent, we both still thought it was pretty cool.

To: Don, Janine, and family Please accept my deepest sympathies on the passing of your son Zach.

I just wanted to let the Kother family know that Zach was a wonderful person, who touched the lives of all who knew him. I haven't seen him in years, but we were in grade school through high school together and he was always a fun and sweet guy. I am so sorry for your loss and want you to know that his memory will live on. I think we all have another angel looking out for us.

Dear Kothers, I served with Zach while in the Marine Corps. I will always remember Zach for being a happy go lucky sort of guy. It wasn't too often that you would see Zach without a smile on his face, and he was always a lot of fun to be around. I am so sorry for your loss. He was a GREAT man.

Don and Janine, You have my deepest sympathies for your loss. You and your family will be in my prayers. Mike Gietl

Dear Kother family, I'm so very sorry for your loss. I haven't seen Zach for at least 11 years; and although I didn't know him extremely well in high school, he was always a friendly face. He was one of those people who got along with everyone. I remember he had a very unique, authentic smile. Pudge was a sincerely nice person and always fun to talk with. Your family is in my prayers. Blessings, Katie Luparell Wilson

So sorry to the Kother family on their loss of a brave son . Our prayer are with Zach and his family.

My condolences to the entire Kother family for your loss. I remember the first time I met Zach in the bleachers at SoccerWorld as Don and I were discussing forming Fuddruckers while Cody was probably 8 years old and a bit shy as he was sitting in Janine's lap and Zach came up smiling and shaking his head as he gave Cody a look like, "quit acting like a little baby". The Kother family has been very kind to me and I sincerely appreciate Don and everything you did for me. God bless Zach and the Kother family.

Pudge was part of my very close knit circle of friends in school, most of my fondest memories growing up include him. He was truly a good man, and a great friend. After high school he and another one of my friends, Chad Jones (Chipper), became a few of my personal Heroes when they served in Iraq. I looked up to Pudge for many years. Words cannot express the sorrow I feel knowing of his passing. And my heart goes out to his family. Time has gone by very quickly and it has been every bit of 4 years since I last talked to Zach. But I remember all of the great times we had growing up together. And will never forget. Zach, I will always consider you a hero. I will always miss you my old friend, and I will see you when I get there. Love, Bustin

OBITUARY

Zachary Tyler Kother

23 March, 1980 – 30 August, 2010

Butler Funeral Home & Cremation Tribute Center-Springfield

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