Zachary John Zernik

Zachary "Zack, Z-Squared, ZZ, Zack Attack, Brud Bruds, Zackster" John Zernik, 22, of Thousand Oaks, California, passed away Saturday January 28, 2023, while surrounded by the nature he loved. He was born on September 27, 2000. He is survived by his loving family including mother Elizabeth, father Fred, sister, Marina, grandfathers John Kubis and Gunter Zernik, and many relatives. He was preceded by his beloved grandmothers Norma Zernik and Ruth Kubis. Zachary loved life and was an amazing son, brother, cousin and friend. He embraced many aspects of the wonderful Conejo Valley and surrounding area, including scouting, wrestling, academics, and Muay Thai.

Zack was an accomplished Triple Crown high adventurer, earning his Eagle Scout and celebrating with his many friends of Troop 753 "the Purple Troop." He loved music and played saxophone from his early days at Aspen Elementary School, to the marching band at Redwood, jazz band at Thousand Oaks High School, and was excited to join jazz band with his friends at Moorpark College. While in high school, Zack was named the varsity MVP in wrestling, and was on varsity beach and indoor volleyball teams. He was also accepted into Thousand Oaks' AP Capstone Program, The Center for Advanced Studies & Research, and was a member of the Jewish student fellowship.

He went to UCLA and enjoyed working hard at Roadside Lumber in Agoura. He loved building things with wood, including a beer pong table for his wrestling friend at Moorpark. In 2023, he went to State with the Moorpark College wrestling team and was excited to be in the engineering program at Moorpark College. He ran marathons and hiked the Trans Sierra trail multiple times, including Eagle Peak and Mt. Whitney. He loved skiing at Mammoth and Lake Tahoe with family and friends and playing volleyball with "Team Zernik" and the Zuma Beach crew. He was a certified SCUBA diver and coral restoration specialist. He touched the life of so many and will be truly missed and never forgotten.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Monday February 13th at 10am at the Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa Visitors Center, 4121 Potrero Road, Newbury Park, CA 91320. Family and friends are invited to come and share fond memories and stories.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made directly to his favorite programs in his name or you can use the following link and proceeds will be divided among Zack's favorite programs: https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/7e24n1.

The Zernik family extends gratitude to the entire community for its outpouring of support during this impossible time.