In Memory of SrA Zachary Rayl, USAF
August 19, 1999 – July 23, 2024
Active Duty
Zachary Rayl passed away on 7/23/2023 at the age of 23. He was born in Houston, Missouri. Zachary graduated high school in Kingston, Michigan in 2018. He was part of the honor society and a very active part of the Robotics team. Zachary loved fishing, camping, tubing, video games, and he was a livid Detroit Red Wings fan. Zack was a loving son, brother, grandson, nephew, and uncle.
Zachary joined the Air Force in December of 2019. I was so proud when he joined the Air Force to serve his country and follow in my footsteps (his Mom), as I am an Army Veteran.
Zack was an Airborne Radio Operator on the AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) Aircrafts and was stationed at Tinker Air Force Base in OKC. He loved being part of the flight crew and was so proud of a mission he took part in that seized 2 million dollars of drugs trying to come into our country. During that mission 67 arrests were made.
Zachary is missed and loved beyond measure. My heart breaks every day for not only for myself and our family, but for Zack that he lost his way and didn’t let us help him. I pray my son is at peace and looks down from above and sees how much we are hurting, but we are doing our best to always remember all of our memories and to honor his life every day.
I leave you with this poem in honor of my son Zachary, that I believe was sent to me by chance.
REMEMBER ME
Fill not your hearts with pain and sorrow,
But remember me in every tomorrow,
Remember the joy, the laughter, the smiles,
I’ve only gone to rest a little while,
Although my leaving causes pain and grief,
My going has eased my hurt,
And given me relief.
So dry your eyes and remember me,
Not as I am now, but as I used to be.
Because, I will remember you all,
And look on with a smile.
Understand, in your hearts,
I’ve only gone to rest a little while.
As long as I have the love of each of you,
I can live my life in the hearts of all of you.
In loving memory of my son SrA Zachary Rayl
I miss and love you always and forever my sweet, amazing, and loving son.
Home State: Michigan
