Alexander J. "Zandy" Bard

Alexander Joseph Bard, age 32 years and known to the world as Zandy, passed away on January 15, 2021 in San Jose, CA. Born in Boston, Zandy lived most of his first 20 years in Cambridge with his adoring parents, Joel & Betsy Bard. He lived his last year in San Jose close by his loving, devoted and remarkable sister, Emilie Bard, and his nephews Eman and Ezra.

Zandy’s greatest passions were his family, friends, and basketball (and sneakers!). He remained close to friends made in preschool, Baldwin Elementary and Cambridge Rindge and Latin (CRLS) schools, summer camp and wherever he travelled. He had a precious capacity for friendship and human connection. Zandy recently planned to return to Cambridge and was so excited at the thought of being back with his many tried-and-true friends. One of those friends wrote, “Change may be inevitable in life but transformation is rare, Zandy was in a constant state of metamorphosis.” So true.

After two years of college, Zandy moved west, first to southern Oregon, then northern California and finally, the Bay Area. He was an entrepreneur, making T-shirts to sell on the streets or at festivals in his early years on the road, buying and selling gems like tourmaline, and organizing unlikely but successful events.

Like a true Cantabrigian, Zandy loved basketball. He worked hard on his fitness and speed, and he especially devoted himself to being the best shooter. He would practice tirelessly, his father getting tired simply rebounding while Zandy would be shooting one hundred 3-pointers with few breaks. He had great success at so many levels, including summer camp, AAU and as a co-captain of the CRLS team, which he helped reach the finals at Boston Garden. As his neighbor Paul observed, “Zandy was an artist in the game. It was beautiful to watch Z, his shot, the speed, grace and accuracy”. Zandy also loved music, beginning with the early years of hip hop and constantly evolving to include a wide range of artists and genres.

In later years, Zandy became devoted to feral cats, adopting two and finding and feeding ferals wherever he lived. When you walked toward his apartment with him, cats would appear out of nowhere to be with him, then disappearing. His compassion for homeless cats sprung from his despair at the omnipresent sights of people and families living in the streets of Oakland, CA, where he lived for several years.

But what should be remembered most about Zandy was his kindness, generosity and warmth. His sister Emilie reflected, “What has brought me joy is remembering Zandy’s hyperbolic accolades for anything he enjoyed; Good food was never just good, it was always the best thing he had ever eaten, even if it was something I made with three ingredients in a crock pot. He would send me something to read because it was the funniest thing he had ever read, or the best story he ever read. Nothing was average. Everything was the very best.”

Zandy was very encouraging of nephews Ezra’s music making and Eman’s running skills.

Zandy was always his best self when he was with other people, sharing his sweetness and his warmth. He was an enthusiastic story-teller and an eager listener. He had a beautiful smile which could turn into great bursts of laughter, it felt good just to be in his presence.

In addition to his heartbroken parents, sister, nephews and extended family, Zandy leaves behind countless friends whose lives were made better, simply by knowing him.

Private funeral services and burial took place in Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge.

To honor his life, the Zandy Bard Fund has been established to create opportunities for Cambridge young adults that they would otherwise not have access to. To contribute to that fund by mail, checks made may be made to Cambridge Community Foundation, c/o The Link, 255 Main St., 8th Floor,

Cambridge, MA 02142, please include “Zandy Bard Fund” in the memo section of your check, or online at https://cambridgecf.networkforgood.com/projects/123019-the-zandy-bard-fund