Zachariah James "Zach" Alberda

Zachariah James Alberda was born on December 18, 2002 to Ron and Julie Alberda. Zach had an adventurous spirit from the day he was born. He was an early crawler and walker, trying to keep up with his older brothers. As a toddler he loved to explore and during camping trips he would sometimes end up at other peoples' campsites before his parents even noticed. He loved to try new food and new activities like biking, windsurfing and zip lining. When we took the training wheels off his bike his Dad only had to guide him a few feet until he was on his own.

Zach was extremely talented. Mom and Dad had to be careful what music they played on the radio because he could memorize a song after hearing it once. He was also a prolific writer. When he started writing in first grade the entire class loved reading "Zach's Crazy Stories". Cousin Josh collaborated with him to write books in a series called Super Hero Academy. At an early age he loved singing, it became a passion and teachers loved his strong voice and sight reading in many school choirs. After very few lessons he mastered the piano and enjoyed composing many original songs on his computer. His music compositions usually related to one of his characters in a book he wrote or were written for a specific scene. Zach loved acting in high school plays and became a voice actor with an online community of friends. The voice coach was so impressed with him that she volunteered to coach him without charge.

Using GMOD, Zach created 3-D scenes and animations, something that is not an easy thing to do. He had a group of friends online whom he gamed with and collaborated on new projects. Zach's online friends received support, encouragement, and a lot of laughs from our fine young man. The confusion and care from Zach's online friends since his passing has been a huge view into how much he invested in his online friendships.

Zach was taken from this life far too early. He will be dearly missed and leaves a gaping hole in the lives of his family and friends. We urge anyone who is experiencing depression to please reach out to a loved one, don't keep it to yourself or think you can handle it on your own.

Zach is survived by his parents Ron and Julie (Hammingh) Alberda, Brothers Todd and Nate Alberda, Grandparents Bern and Verna Alberda, and Elaine Hammingh, Aunts and Uncles Dale and Heidi Alberda, Janet (Hammingh) and Keith Houtsma, Randall Alberda, Joel and Cheryl (Alberda) Bratt, Henry and Jayne Hammingh, and Cousins Jolene (Houtsma) and Sam Britton, Daniel Houtsma and Becky Leslie, Tyler and Cameron Houtsma, Nicholas Bratt, Sydney Alberda, Aaron Bratt, Noelle Alberda, and Josh Hammingh.

In lieu of flowers feel free to make a contribution to Bothell Cedar Park Christian School's drama or music department or to jedfoundation.org - a charity that is fighting to prevent teenage suicide.