Durr was inclusive leader who brought people together
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Ask anyone what they will remember most about Zane Durr and the reply is the same: his smile, his laughter, his joy of life, and especially his ability to bring people together, be it his large extended family or his posse of diverse friends. "Zane was a magnet, " Autumn Gross said. "He drew people in. The smart kids, the athletic kids, the musical kids, the video gamers, he made new friends and then we all had new friends because of him."
Durr, 21, died December 30 in an avalanche in the Haines pass while snowboarding with friends.
"Zane was one of the most fun, high energy, exuberant people I'd ever met," his high school debate, drama and forensics coach Amanda Randles said. "A lot of kids you have to pull out, with Zane it was how to control it and use it." He excelled in comedy pieces, and was a team leader. "Zane was always the one who said 'come on, you're part of this team, you're special, you can do this,'" she said.
At Haines High, Durr was in so many activities that the editors had to re-format his 2016 senior yearbook page, and he excelled at them all. In addition to DDF he served on the student council for four years, was in the award winning Man Choir and made the state honor choir and band (he played trombone), ran cross-country, and was an all-state wrestler.
"The first time I saw Zane he must have been about nine years-old, and we were warming-up the cross country team, and he was playing soccer on the field with a cup of hot chocolate in one hand. He scored a goal without spilling a drop, and more notable, all the high school kids cheered him by name. He was probably in 4th grade and already a big man on campus," former cross-country coach and friend Liam Cassidy said.
Durr used his popularity to make others feel good and include them. "Zane was able to take people a little on the outside and find that place for them. He wanted to know everyone's story," his father Dennis said. He had a quiet side too, his mother Carrie said. "Zane was inquisitive, spiritual, understanding, and such an engaging person to be around. He told us multiple times how appreciative he was of us as parents."
Zane Valentine Durr was born in Bellingham, Washington on June 14, 1998 to Dennis and Carrie-Ann Valentine Durr. The family moved to Haines, where his mother's family is from, in 2005 when he was in second grade. As a youngster he especially enjoyed the company of his cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles.
He picked up wrestling early, tagging along with his father, who coached the Haines High team for eight years. His freshman year he qualified for state and went on to place in the state tournament in subsequent years in the 152 lb. weight class. At tournaments he was relaxed and even "light-hearted," his father said. Other competitors paced and warmed up before final matches, but he would be in be in the stands visiting with friends. "Zane was very successful, Haines had never had a person place at state before, but wrestling wasn't his life; he found a balance. It was a little awkward as the coach to say our star wrestler would miss the meet because he was with the DDF team or at a music festival but that was Zane. He made time for everything."
After graduation he attended Fort Lewis College in Durango for a year, singing in the choir and playing rugby. He missed his friends and family and headed to Seattle, where he had both. He shared an apartment with Matthew Green and the two spent every weekend adventuring, He worked for his uncle Larry Jacquot Jr. at Industry Erectors, a tower crane business for about a year and a half, and that led to an apprentice carpenter position with Woodhaven Construction. He was home for Christmas with his family when he died along with Green.
His cross-country coach and teacher Lily Boron said, "I saw both of them the day before the accident, and there was such joy there, it was so neat to see they had developed this friendship. We had this great conversation about how happy and fulfilled they both were in Seattle with work and life. This is what a teacher lives for. To see these kids grow up to be such amazing people."
Grandmother Mary Jane Valentine said the family has much gratitude for the community for the outpouring of love and support, and that she "would have loved to hear Zane sing one more time with all of you."
Zane Durr is survived by his parents Dennis and Carrie-Ann, and also locally by grandparents Bill and Mary Jane Valentine, great-grandfather Hank Jacquot, Aunt Tammy and Uncle Jeff Hamilton, and cousin Zoe Hamilton. Also, Uncle Tim and Aunt Deanna Ewing and cousins Keely, Luna, and Penelope Ewing; grandfather Gary Durr and his wife Jill, and grandmother Ahn Durr, and many aunts, uncles, cousins and extended family members.
