Christian Zacher

Sending your family love. A beautiful life, a beautiful family.

Chris was a fixture in Humanities at Ohio State. He was also one of the first people I met on campus, during my job interview back in 1992. He was a reassuring presence and an example of what academic priorities should be in a bureaucracy-mad institution. It's hard to believe he's gone. My sincere condolences to his family.

An all around great guy and a shining example of what an honor it is to be a faculty member at OSU- total commitment to teaching,research, and service.- he was all that and more.

Chris was a lovely man. Intellectually curious, funny, kind, and sharply witty. I knew him first as Director of CMRS, then he joined the College of Humanities for more than a decade as our Associate Dean for Faculty Research. He was always an asset and a pleasure regardless of the role or responsibility.

I will miss him.

Knowing Chris Zacher was the highlight of my student days at Ohio State. We worked on The Ohio State Columbus Quincentenary. For all his knowledge, he was completely approachable and wryly funny. I am so blessed to have known him.

Chris was such a class act. He will be much missed for his kindness, decency, generosity and humor.
My thoughts are with his loved ones.

I shall miss Chris. He became my first friend when I arrived at Ohio State University. He was always available, kind, generous, helpful, and serviceable. He never put himself in the spotlight. I appreciated his soft-spoken manner and delicate sense of humor and irony.

The world was a far better place with Chris Zacher in it. He was not only a great guy, but a true friend, a trusted colleague, a thoughtful mentor, and an exemplary university citizen. His legacy, shaped by his intellectual curiosity, his kindness, his spiritual confidence, and his devotion to his family, will shine brightly for a long time. Everyone, literarily everyone, who knew Chris will miss him. My hope is that Kay Bea and Sam and his daughters and grandchildren will know how much he was loved and admired.

I am so sorry to have lost Chris, but so very filled with gratitude to have known him.

I was Chris's classmate in grammar school and high school, and was delighted to have been able to spend two summers with his family in the Gallinas Canyon in New Mexico, where I developed a great appreciation for Native American art. A truly exceptional person!

For two months in 2013 I lived in Chris and Kay Bea's house, as a visiting professor at OSU. Those were the months in which Chris started his fight against sickness. He never complained, never espressed anger or self pity, he was always calm.... a true elegant british Lord, like in the episodes of Downton Abbey that we would not forget to watch, the three of us together!
Con tanto affetto.
Sylvie

I sat next to Chris in an English class at Holy Cross and he encouraged me to write something for our Literary magazine. I did and I have enjoyed writing ever since. Thanks Chris.

My sympathy to his loved ones.

Chris was a good-natured, intelligent and interesting classmate whom I liked and respected very much. His passing is a loss to the civilized world.

Brann Wry

Phoebe and I remember Chris fondly with much admiration for his ability to discuss almost any topic with almost any type of person. He could easily adapt to any group of people, no matter their background or interest. His quite but knowledgeable demeanor was such an important character trait. I remember having a discussion with him about the Midwest as he was writing his "Encyclopedia of the American West," and how scholarly and knowledgeable he was while giving me the impression he was still searching for information and wanted any input I could give him. I treasure the "Encyclopedia" and will think of him when I look up something about the Midwest.
Our condolences and thoughts are with Kay and Sam in the days ahead, but know their memories of Chris will sustain them for many years to come.
Randy and Phoebe Vosbeck