Zane MacCrimmon Marshall

In Memoriam
It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of Zane Marshall, born on April 11, 2006, and departed from us on May 27, 2024. A shining star extinguished too soon, Zane leaves behind his loving parents, Charles Marshall and Kathryn Stewart, his cousin, Holden Marshall, and his uncle, Robert Stewart.
Zane was born in Greenbrae, California, on April 11, 2006. As a young child, Zane was fascinated by how things work and would spend his time building "contraptions" such as a device that used all six simple machines, a lightswitch he could control from his loft bed, a universal remote, and more. He quickly learned how to solder, use a 3d printer, and CAD software so that he could not only build things but design them from the ground up.
Throughout his life, he displayed a keen intellect and an insatiable curiosity that drove him to explore the mysteries of the universe. After meeting Adam Steltzner from Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Pascal Lee from SETI and the Mars Institute in elementary school, Zane was inspired to design a robotic lander that would penetrate the icy surface of Enceladus, one of the moons of Saturn believed to house a sub-surface ocean and life-supporting hydrothermal vents. He continued to pursue ideas for a robotic undersea explorer until his senior year at San Marin in Novato where he focused his capstone project on creating a thruster powered by electrolysis to facilitate deep-space missions. He imagined a universe where everyone would be able to travel to new worlds and experience the majesty of science and one where knowledge would be shared for the betterment of humankind. Zane's many other varied interests inspired him to create a mechanical computer, a photon detector, a lunar lander simulator and a multi-voiced wind instrument capable of harmony.
In 2023, he was an integral part of the Penguin Empire FIRST Robotics team at San Marin High School that qualified and competed in the world championships in Houston, TX. A highlight of his life, Zane spoke about his joy in competing in Houston and the close friendships he made when asked about "that robot team" during his college interviews. During his years with the team, he never failed to be a positive mentor to the incoming students, always taking the time to teach them coding, show them how to 3D print a part, or teach them to use CAD.
Zane balanced his love of science with his love of Jazz and spent many an afternoon playing his saxophone, writing original compositions, or rearranging old favorites. He founded and led the San Marin Jazz Combo and frequently emceed the San Marin music performances always interspersing his sense of humor into each segment. On any given day of the week, Zane could be found smiling and listening to Stan Getz, Theolonius Monk, Charlie Parker, Art Pepper, Lee Konitz, Vince Guaraldi and other original Jazz pioneers to draw inspiration for his original compositions that he wrote and performed with the San Marin Jazz Combo.
Zane believed in doing good in the world and ensured that he gave back by participating in Team Up to Clean Up, providing donations for meals to the Salvation Army, and Scouting for Food. He helped to revive the land by planting new native plants at Stafford Lake on Earth Day and gently reminding his parents which bins to place compostables and recyclables in at the Marin County Fair.
An invitee to the University of California, Berkeley's undergraduate program for Astrophysics in Fall 2024, Zane also achieved an Associate's Degree in Science from the College of Marin before finishing high school. At Berkeley, he was looking forward to pursuing research and continuing to develop new and more sustainable methods for exploring deep space.
His legacy will always be a testament to his kindness, caring nature, and unquenchable curiosity. In his own words, Zane believed that knowledge and intelligence should be used not to intimidate, but to enlighten and inspire. Coupled with his great sense of humor and wit, Zane will always be a cherished friend and mentor to many. A celebration of Zane's remarkable life will be held on June 8, 2024, at 11:00 a.m., at the Valley Memorial Park Cemetery & Funeral Home, followed by a reception at noon. In lieu of flowers, we kindly request you to contribute to the 'Help the Family' fund (https://everloved.com/life-of/zane-marshall/donate/). As we bid farewell to Zane, we remember a kind, dynamic, compassionate, and intelligent young man. His legacy of kindness, caring, and curiosity will continue to live within all those who had the privilege of knowing him.