Zachary Harder passed away unexpectedly on September 18, 2020, while biking on an autumn day in Maine. He lived every day to its fullest, doing what he loved, and thus he died doing what he loved. He left us too soon, but was spared the heartache that we all now face in his absence. He lived a truly happy life.
Born on January 28, 1989, Zachary grew up and went to school in Middlebury, Vermont. He spent his last years in Augusta, Maine. As a child, many summer days were spent fishing with his brother for “lunkers” in the Otter Creek, exploring in the woods, hunting for old bottles with his sister Caitlin or setting sail on a pirate ship with his sister Allison (a fallen pine tree can easily become a pirate ship with a little imagination). He shared many special hours with his mother, looking at nature, having good coffee, and mercilessly beating her in Catan. His father will always remember laughing at Monty Python with Zach, and snowshoeing across frozen lakes in Maine.
Zachary was always active, he loved great food, good music, hiking, biking, camping, rooting for the Celtics, and he had a wild sense of humor. On top of all this, he was a talented photographer. Some of his most stunning photos were taken just weeks ago, while hiking Mount Katahdin with Kirsten, his partner in love and adventure. Zachary was driven: he was not content to stagnate. Whether studying graphic design, practicing photography, or working for a good cause, he was obsessive in his desire to improve. This energy must now be passed on and multiplied by those he loved.
Zachary leaves behind his partner, Kirsten Brewer; his parents, Leigh and Gary Harder; his sisters, Allison Disant and Caitlin Harder; his brother, Matthew Harder; his uncles, aunt, cousins, niece and nephew and brother in-law; a rambunctious pup called Emmie and a fat cat called Amazon; as well as many dear friends, including James Hurteau, who was a loyal friend by his side at the end.
Zachary is loved infinitely, he will be missed finitely: "
a brief parting from those dear, is the worst one has to fear."
Charitable Donations in Zach's Memory:
Zach loved the outdoors. It was often the focus of his photography, played a large role in his personal life (he was always hiking, biking, snowboarding and camping) and featured in many of the ways he gave back to the world. Zach spent time volunteering for trail clean ups and really cared about land conservation. The Moosalamoo Association works to build and maintain trails near Zach’s childhood home, striving to make nature accessible to everyone. If you feel moved to make a donation to a charity in Zach’s name, we think he’d find this one deserving! Donations can be made via its website (please mention Zachary Harder in the comments box): https://moosalamoo.org/donate Zach also had a close connection to Maine, after moving there four years ago with his partner, Kirsten. For those of you who think of him there and would like to make a donation in Zach's name to a Maine charity, we think he would have liked to support the Central Maine chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association. Zach had been planning to join and volunteer with them and they have an upcoming initiative to build a new trail system, which is something Zach would have loved! Donations to NEMBA can be made here: https://www.nemba.org/shopzone/page8.html