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Zachary who was known as "Z" to his family and friends, fought a "courageous battle against leukemia," according to his obituary.
He was born May 28, 2005, in Danbury, the son of Marc and Joelle (West) Schwartz. He attended Brewster Schools.
Zach was athletic and loved school, the obituary noted, adding that "he was a great teammate to have, playing basketball, football and baseball on the local teams. He truly loved the game of baseball and his Brewster Bombers travel team held a special and significant place in his heart. He was a high honors student."
He also loved spending time with his family and friend and his favorite pastimes were playing video games and sports with his friends and teasing his sister. He loved the beach – especially at Cape May and East Hampton and was an avid fan of the Yankees and the Giants. He embraced his Methodist and Jewish heritage, the obituary said.
Upon his diagnosis, Zach decided he wanted to create a charity to raise funds toward fighting childhood cancers. He created the Relay for Life team, ZACC (Zach Attacks Childhood Cancer) Attack. His team participated in their second Relay this past June and raised $12,000 toward fighting childhood cancers.
Zach is survived by his parents Marc and Joelle of Brewster and his sister Sadie. He also leaves his grandfathers, Steve Schwartz (Bonnie) of Deerfield Beach, Florida, and Sheldon West of Campbell.
He is survived by his Auntie Ei, godmother, of New York City; his aunts, Jana West of Savona and Cheryl Hunter (Dave) of Stafford, Virginia; his uncles Philip West (Loren) of Marietta, Georgia, and David Schwartz of Deerfield Beach, Florida; and his cousins Abigail and Ian West of Marietta, Georgia, and Andrew and Alison Hunter of Stafford, Virginia. Zachary was predeceased by his grandmothers, Brenda West and Fran Schwartz.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by Beecher Funeral Home in Brewster. Calling hours will be Saturday, Sept. 7 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The funeral will be held on Sunday, Sept. 8 at noon at Drew United Methodist Church, 28 Gleneida Ave., Carmel.
In lieu of flowers donations in memory of Zach are asked to either Holeinthewallgang.org or Thecircleofcare.org
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