Zachery Robin SMITH

1978 - 2016

SMITH, Zachery Robin (Zack) Passed on from this life on October 19, 2016 in Corte Madera, CA. He was 38 years of age. Zack was born on June 13, 1978 in Eugene, Oregon but moved to Sonoma County, CA with his family when he was three years old. Zack attended Apple Blossom School, Twin Hills School and later Analy High School, in Sebastopol, CA. He loved sports and played soccer, basketball and baseball throughout primary and secondary school and soccer and later football in high school. During high school he became interested in the martial art Wing Chun and studied with a master in San Francisco, even traveling to China with him to observe and study it further. He never stopped practicing Wing Chun. Even as a young boy, his considerable intellect was obvious. Zack showed much interest and curiosity in most things in life, but he had a special passion for math and science. He always enjoyed participating in the annual Science Fairs and was invited by his school to participate in the Science Fairs held at UC Berkeley. He was also frequently invited to attend math fairs and special science and technology camps as a boy. Zack graduated from the University of San Diego, CA in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology and in 2010 with a PhD in Biology with Original Research in Plant Genetics and Molecular Biology. During his tenure at UCSD and the Salk Institute he co-authored three major scientific papers, which were published in the prestigious professional journals: Nature, Science and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. While an undergraduate, he worked as a technician and later as a graduate student he worked as a researcher at the prestigious Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, CA from 2003 to 2010. Following his PhD, he worked for several years as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in Saint Louis, MO. Most recently he worked at the Frasier Lab at Stanford University where he contributed to a major breakthrough with his research, leading to a patent application on cutting edge scientific technology. Everyone who worked with Zack mourns the loss of this exceptional and brilliant scientist and man, who had so much promise, passion and vigor. He was a patient and caring mentor to many over the course of his too-few years. Zack was a true lover of the outdoors and loved nothing more than being in nature. An avid fisherman and diver, he enjoyed sharing the bounty of his catch with friends and family. He had become very skilled in free diving and most recently passed an intermediate course and examination where he could dive about 100 feet and hold his breath for six minutes. He loved the Northern California coast, where was raised and when time allowed, he would hike and sometimes camp with his beloved dog, Dottie. Dottie was named after his two grandmothers, both of whom he knew and loved dearly, and who both just happened to be named Dottie. This is the heart of Zack, a loving and sensitive, extraordinarily talented young man whose memory will be forever etched indelibly on the hearts and souls of those he touched. A celebration of Zack's life is planned on December 10th, from noon until 4 p.m. It will be held in the Richardson Room in the Aqua Hotel in Mill Valley, California. It is a beautiful location looking out upon Richardson Bay and Zack's beloved Mt. Tamalpais. The family requests that in remembrance and honor of Zack, contributions be made to: The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and The Brain and Behavior Research Foundation.