Zachary Greene Warfield

Zachary Greene Warfield, 35, of Arlington, VA, formerly of Walkersville, MD, died July 4th in a boating accident on the Potomac River.

He was born to Maggi Verdi Gauthier and Douglas Warfield on March 23, 1976 in Frederick, MD. Zack graduated from Walkersville, MD High School in 1994 and received a BS in Mechanical Engineering with honors from the University of Notre Dame in 1998, and an MS in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, with a focus on jet propulsion systems, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2001, graduating with a perfect 5.0 GPA.

Zack was a co-founder and a member of the Board of Directors for Omnis, Inc., a McLean, VA-based strategic consulting firm for the intelligence, defense and national security communities. He spearheaded major research initiatives and, in addition to helping steer the company, was directly involved in numerous projects, including analytic training and technology consulting.

Prior to founding Omnis, Zack was an engineer and analyst for the U.S. Government and private industry. As a science and technology analyst, he assessed missile and space systems, managed technical contracts, and investigated Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) program as a member of the Iraq Survey Group, serving in Baghdad on two separate occasions.

As an engineer, he worked on aerospace projects for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and private industry. Most notably, Zack designed critical guidance systems that ensured a successful landing for the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity; his name is inscribed on one of the rovers, and remains on Mars today.

An avid athlete, Zack excelled at golf, and as a mountaineer had reached several of the highest summits in the US and Europe, among them Mont Blanc in France and Mount Rainier in Washington. He often improved himself in remarkable ways; one summer he taught himself French, another to be ambidextrous; he recently mastered programming applications for the iPhone.

A quiet leader, friends and family looked to him for every type of advice and guidance. He improved the lives of everyone whose path he crossed, and he will be remembered for his kindness of spirit, fullness of heart and superlative abilities in all of his chosen paths.

He is survived by his mother Maggi Gauthier and stepfather Paul Gauthier, of Frederick, MD; father Douglas Warfield and stepmother Cindy Warfield, of New Market, MD; brother Justin Ray Warfield, of Hermosa Beach, CA; sister Hannah Verdi Warfield, of Frederick, MD; numerous aunts, uncles and cousins; and by Barden Cleeland, of Arlington, VA - she was his one true love.

The family will receive friends from 3-6 p.m. on Sunday, July 10 at Keeney & Basford Funeral Home, 106 E. Church Street, Frederick. Funeral services will begin at 11 a.m. on Monday, July 11 at St. John the Evangelist, 118 East 2nd Street, Frederick.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to the Zachary G. Warfield Scholarship Fund, c/o The Community Foundation of Frederick County, 312 E. Church St, Frederick, MD 21701.