Emily Happell Williams I couldn't have been more honored to transfer Zak's 8mm family film for him a few years ago. It's always fun to see someone I know in the home movies I transfer, but these were particularly special to me. In this clip, you'll see his mother, Pam, and another man- maybe his uncle? I forget if he told me. Most likely, his dad, Robert is behind the camera. :)

Emily Happell Williams More of Zak’s 8mm home movies, approximately 1968. Toddler Zak! 💕

Caitlin Browne Zak was often shirtless. This is with our grandparents, who adored him, baby Pete, and me at Wards in Marlboro, VT.

David Fanelli These are the photos I referenced in the previous pot

Mina Balakhani We met many, many moons ago and Zak's impact resonates in me to this day, and will always. Over the years he has even come to me in dreams with guidance. My heart is heavy with sadness for him to go too soon. His sacred journey continues

Mina Balakhani Uncle Pete's farm

Mina Balakhani Zak with his mom in Vermont

Corey Ciampi Greer Ciampi reunion August 1993, Zak always made Lele laugh, I can hear her say “you’re a riot Zak!”

Brett Berns Don Trenner's kitchen. The beginning of an epic friendship.

Shawn McWilliams I think this was 1995-96ish we were at my favorite place in the Ozark Mountains at Grandma’s with my son and my grandma and Zak. My dad and I taught him how to fillet trout. Good times for sure. #Merimac river

Carissa Broadwater Zak and Flexar If ya know ya know . Beautiful parade of joy and sorrow . It’s been a wild ride and I will miss my friend . God Bless his wife and all that knew him . Soul family 🙏

Allen Williams Zak released the first Flexar album in 2001. It's a great tasting of Zak's inclinations towards music. Experiment, rock, and make it mean something. This album is available online for streaming.

Jennifer Meltzer Wedding of me and my love Josh Meltzer. Zak our dapper groomsman. Zak looking innocent and sweet, me over dramatizing my reaction to the likely off color and hysterical comment Zak likely just made, Josh in stitches as he always was with Zak by his side… which Zak always was near or far 🙏 we love you Zak always & forever 💕

Kimberly Cunliffe Zak @ Big Red. The days of Flexar and Aero, family and fun. He pretty much finished raising me, lol. He helped me finish school and get my real estate license. He even tried to teach me how to play guitar, but that didn't work. He got too frustrated :) I am truly honored that I got to know him in this lifetime. He always had the best of friends. He was quite selective of whom he spent time with because he knew how fast it all went by. Sometimes people would find themselves on the super double super secret probation list (see pic of him pointing). Yep, he was a magic man. An angel- ok, maybe an angry angel at times, but he was full of grace. I am so thankful for having known him. I'll always remember - with gratitude and love.

Jill Trunnell

Sean O’Rourke I'm looking for some pictures we took while hanging out that I've yet to find. I did find this one that's pretty cool.

Sean O’Rourke I found these on the Pollstar article about Zak. These are from the '07 tour, I believe.

Terry Fox These are rehearsal photos from Omaha,NE Qwest Center Arena.From the Flip Flop Summer Tour. I believe this was the first show of the tour with special guest Joe Walsh. Julie now knows, who Joe Walsh is! :)

Jill Trunnell Zak and Catfish Piitsburgh Heinz Field

Jill Trunnell Pittburgh,Heinz Field late night after Load out - Touring Family!

Jill Trunnell KC Team Merch Lottery Drawing!

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Jill Trunnell Last show Indianapolis!

Allen Williams In 2008, Zak released the Flexar album "The Doppleganger." The strong follow up to the first Flexar album. Great songs during a fun period of jamming at Big Red and life on the road. It exists in physical CD form.

Brett Berns With my best friend. There will never be another like Zak. Miss you forever my brother.

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Terry Fox These photos are from the 2008 Kenny Chesney Poets and Pirates Tour. Williams-Brice Stadium Columbia,SC. Claytons father had passed away and Kenny asked Zak to fill in for him. The only catch was he had to lose the whiskers!! Funny stuff!! We gave him a hard, time all along the way! Zak spent a lot of time in the back lounge of the bus, woodshedding! He killed it that night! Great job (of Course) in front of a crowd of 55000!

Jill Trunnell Zak and Catfish

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Terry Fox These photos are from a TV recording, of a 4th of July Special in Brooklyn, for one of the Networks. Shot in June of 2008, under the Brooklyn Bridge if I remember correctly. At the time Kenny was doing a song called "Never wanted nothing more" it had an extra acoustic part that no-one could cover, so Zak always sat in and Covered it!

Terry Fox Today Show NYC! All the band guys and Z!!

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Terry Fox These are some pretty bad photos from a Flexar show in Nashville! Z rocking that Explorer again!! I believe that is Big Rob on Bass, Ryan Bullington on guitar and Sean on drums. Someone please correct me if I have it wrong.

Terry Fox These are a couple of shots of the "Mostly Crew" performance as an opening act for Kenny at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis,IN! I love the Explorer Z is playing! My Favorite guitar of his!!

Jill Trunnell Keg in the Closet - Panama City Beach - Spinnakers

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Jill Trunnell Tubing on a show Day!

Jill Trunnell Tambo (Mark Tamburino )and Zak doing what they do!

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Jill Trunnell Orca + Dolphin = BROTHERS

Jill Trunnell Lazy River Show Day in Vancouver!

Jill Trunnell Tubing on an off Day in Boise! Lots of Tubing that year!

Sean O’Rourke I found a few more pictures from around 2009. Ryan, Charlie, Zak and I did a "photo shoot" that I'm hoping Charlie might have better versions of that I still haven't found. These include a picture of the outside of Big red, Old Blue (Zak's truck) and the kit (Neal's) we used for recording.

Allen Williams In 2010, Zak release "The Sentinel" as a 3 song EP and then a 4 song EP on two different CD runs. This album stays in regular rotation in my workshop. Many times I sent Zak clips of work I was doing with it blasting in the background. It's a masterpiece of top-shelf, solid rock! Two versions of it are on CD.

Sean O’Rourke I found these on brother Charlie Bock's Facebook page. This is from a gig I did with Flexar- Zak, Charlie Bock and Ryan Bullington in Nashville. I'm guessing on the date.

Allen Williams When Emily and I got married during the Great Flood on May 1st, 2010, Zak stood by my side. With the world in chaos, he was there with a heart full of love and joy. At the reception he spoke to our love and honored our union. Shortly after speaking, he came to us and apologized because he had to go help people rescue their world from the rising flood waters. It was one of his incredible talents. To be where he was needed, when he was needed and to come and go with grace, always making everyone know he valued them. My heart is broken beyond words. I’ve lost my closest brother in the spiritual war against the darkness and samsara of this world. I know his words to me now would be, “Allen, you’re part of the stay behind team that must warrior on and raise the light of love in the darkness and never let it go out.” Zak, my brother, you will be missed for the rest of my days on this Earth and until we meet again, I will honor you by trying to be just a fraction of the light you brought to us all.

Emily Happell Williams Allen's Birthday/Valentine's Day Big Red Lofts

Emily Happell Williams Zak and his beloved cat, Flexar

Terry Fox I can't remeber what stadium this was, but just Funny! Left to right, Melvis,Catfish,Me and Z!

Emily Happell Williams Zak always knew how to create the perfect mood.✨ One of the legendary Big Red outdoor hangs!

Emily Happell Williams Zak was always happy to lend a helping hand. He and his buddy Ishmael Bouzine helped us raise the maypole for our party that year.

Emily Happell Williams One of my favorite things was listening to the conversations between Zak and Allen. Two great and curious minds constantly analyzing the mysteries of Universe. I will miss this tremendously.

Neal Cappellino Sacred Valley, Peru (Cuzco, Pisac, Ollantaytambo). The last photo in the sequence is upon return to Nashville. For days we swore the object in the upper right corner of the pic was a UFO that picked up our scent in Peru. Our bubble burst when it was plainly identified as the bottom of the transformer on the utility pole.

Allen Williams Zak's 50th Birthday party at his legendary space in Big Red. Clayton Feibusch, Zak, Shawn McWilliams, Neal Cappellino & Allen Williams.

Alex Reeder I wish I had more pics of Zak… he was like family to me and I enjoyed speaking with him about everything and about nothing more than anyone else I’ll meet. This is actually a picture he emailed me one day. He titled it “when men were boys.” Zak was on my first ever tour and I had the privilege of getting to travel the country with him more than once. This was a hiking trip that Zak Josh and I took on the coast of Oregon during that time. One of my favorite things about him was his never ending pursuit of wonder and his sense of adventure. He was always interested in seeing the beauty in every corner of life. He was an amazing friend, teacher, spiritual mentor, and just about the most unique person that’s ever existed. His time here was not wasted. He was not afraid to walk this earth. I love you and I miss you ManBoy. We will all see you again soon.

Jill Trunnell Traveling through Louisville, KY at Mercury Lounge as a Tour Manager with Wayne Swikert

Allen Williams In 2017 Zak released Moundbuilder. It was a culmination of his travels to Peru and his realization that Earth's history and wonder is everywhere - all around us. Recorded and engineered by Danny Tomczak, Zak created an instrumental album filled with the sounds of nature's spirits in place of vocals. Moundbuilder is a beautiful honoring of life on Earth. It's available on streaming platforms, CD and Vinyl. Everyone should listen to this album.

Sean O’Rourke I made a video of a beautiful song "War Fighter" Zak included on the Mound Builder record. If I remember the story right, He recorded the Indian wood flute after being woken up by the man playing it in the Yurt they were staying in while on one of his adventures.

Jill Trunnell Zak and Catfish Minneapolis, MN

Jill Trunnell KC Tour Philadelphia with Zeke Clark

Logan Hanna Here is Zak on one of our many meet ups for coffee and conversation. He said he would deny ever being at Barista Parlor if I told anyone so I needed photo proof ❤️. I really cherish the wisdom he gave to all of us. His ability to deliver life's truths were unmatched. He was a big brother to me, always in my corner, offering advice, help and direction with anything life brought to the door. LOVE YOU Z

Terry Fox This photo and these videos were taken at Allen Gibson's Celebration of life. It was held in Room F, at SoundCheck. November 18, 2018 That is Clay playing with Z! Sent to me from Tom Nisun!

Jill Trunnell One more from Allen's Memorial

Caitlin Browne Uncle Zaky

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Jill Trunnell Best Buddies -Zak and Jeff Snider

Lisa Marshall Heartmate, my beloved sister in sobriety, my heart aches for you as you endure the painful loss of your true love, Zak the gentle giant. For those left behind, he was taken too soon from your earthly embrace. Zak is no longer here to do as he was tasked, to demonstrate your worthiness to be loved wholly and holy. But this is not the end of that love, for it was forged in heaven, so your hearts will be forever entwined. God your father called Zak forth to love you. So it shall be. “The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” Gone but not forgotten. Peace be yours Zak, you earned every ounce of your heavenly reward. Ashley and I are holding you in our hearts and prayers until we can hold you in person. Love Lis & Ash

Jill Trunnell Zak and Clayton Mitchell - Washington, DC - The Anthem

Caitlin Browne Big Brother

Emily Happell Williams Zak's 54th Birthday at the Squirrel Away Ranch. This is my favorite picture I took of Zak. Allen made him a Shepherd's Pie, and I made him a banana bread cake. :)

Logan Hanna The Masked Marauder!!! LOVE YOU Z!

Danielle Hamilton My sweet brother in law. We didn't get much time with you but the time we did get was special. You had a way of making everyone feel special, at ease and calm. When we met you it was like we had known you forever. His presence was one that would make everyone feel accepted and heard. His talent, like nothing I have ever witnessed. The way he sang and played that guitar- so powerful. He put on a private concert in my backyard 2 summers ago, that memory and his music will stay with me forever. You made me feel loved and valued as your sister and for that I want to say thank you. Thank you for being the BEST uncle to our daughter. She will forever cherish Buffy. Lastly thank you Zak for loving my sister the way you did. No one took care of her quite like you. I got to witness Julie and Zaks lovestory first hand and boy was it magical. He was a stellar husband who fell into that role and just rocked it. Thank you Zak for all the happiness and love you brought not only into my sisters life but all of our lives. You will truly be missed beyond measure. Love you brother 🤘🏻

Sean O’Rourke Brother Charlie Bock shared some of Zak's music and videos with me. This particular video struck me. It's Zak and Charlie on acoustic, sitting in the back yard. The birds are singing along with them. Very cool

Amy M Rest in Heaven dearest Zak.

Joe Fazzio I have TONS of short videos that Zak would send to me over the last few decades. I’ll be digging around and posting them here as I come across them. This was fairly recent as you can hear Julie in the background. Much love everyone. 🙏

Sean O’Rourke I put together a video of a song from Zak's record "Moundbuilder". This is called "Rubicon'

Helen Timberlake I can't tell you the exact date that I got my first phone call from Zak, so I used the date that we closed on thier new home. I can tell you that he and Julie are, were and probably always will be my favorite clients. I helped them to find their home in Cedar Hill, TN, but not before looking at some "wierder" opportunities. If you know Zak, you know he definitely has an interest in uniqueness. He told me he had once lived in an old toy factory (which had to be creepy, right?), amongst other not really "house" types of places and really wanted to find something odd to either make a really interesting home, or use for some future undetermined purpose. The search was fun, and interesting and every showing I got to know them a little bit more (and witness the unbearable cuteness of a couple so in love). Zak had a magnetic personality and openness that made people feel instantly comfortable, and you could easily see how much he loved Julie. You could just tell from his demeanor that he was a good human. I was still hoping to find some really cool wierd old building for him, and know I will still think of him whenever I see a roof-less warehouse, a converted church or a home that was once a gas station.

Jill Trunnell Zak, Catfish, and Bailey 1st Show back since 2019 - Tampa, FL

Jill Trunnell Zak and Melvin Fults in Milwaukee at American Family Field Baseball Stadium

Jill Trunnell Milwaukee - Stage Left Road Family

Jill Trunnell Blossom Amphitheater taking care of Danny Rader that weekend.

Jill Trunnell Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Theater

Jill Trunnell June this year- one of our lucky weeks of having Zak on tour with us this year!

Jill Trunnell Virginia Beach Off Day waiting for hotel Rooms all day!

Debbie & Dean Bertram My husband, Dean met Zak in the summer of 2022 and quickly formed a great bond. It was not until September that I had the pleasure of meeting Zak and Julie. We had dinner with them and we did not want it to end. I immediately felt a connection with them as well. Our friendship grew and they were a blessing in our lives. The legacy that Zak leaves behind, his unconditional love for others, his kind soft spoken words, his heart for those in need left beautiful footprints that will never be forgotten. Our time with Zak was short but what he left us with is eternal. Thank you dear Zak for being a “difference maker” in our lives and all those that had the privilege to know you. We regret we did not have a photo with Zak and a Julie but the picture was a beautiful gift from them right before Christmas that we will always treasure. God bless you Julie.❤️

Criss Cain Zak was in his happy place at Wacken, the world’s largest heavy metal festival in Germany. He was working for Ann Wilson. Great memory.

Deidre Siegenthaler I feel so much gratitude for the time I was gifted to spend with Zak. I am thankful for the wonderful memories I have together with Zak and Julie and I will cherish them forever. Zak was truly a precious human-being and I was drawn into him by his light and warmth. He was so kind, caring, loving, and inquisitive. Zak recognized the beauty and wonder in all that he beheld, and It was easy to understand how Julie loved and adored him so completely. Zak loved my best friend with a reverence that most of of us could only hope for once in our lifetime. Simply, it was the purest of love stories. I miss you, Zak. I see you in every room of this beautiful home you and Julie shared. As I look out the window I can see you on the hammock, with Bully in your lap, closing your eyes in the afternoon sun. Blissful. You were joy and love, and such a GOOD man. Love Deidre.

Julie Godwin Some of my favourite pictures and videos of my husband, my hero, Zak Godwin.

Jill Trunnell Inside Cover Pollstar Magazine