Obituary

Zachary Laird Russell perished in a helicopter crash the evening of March 27, 2021.

He is survived by his parents, John and Debra; brothers, Tyler and Alex; fiancee, Ashley; an adoring niece and nephew; and close friends from throughout his life.

Zach was born on Aug. 26, 1987, and lived in Eagle River, Alaska, until moving to Medford, Ore., in 2002. An avid outdoorsman and always dreaming of returning to Alaska, Zach completed helicopter pilot training in Bend, Ore., at Leading Edge Aviation and after being a flight instructor in Bend, flew tours in the Grand Canyon with Sundance Helicopters. Zach took the opportunity to move back to Alaska in 2018, and flew tours out of Juneau with NorthStar Helicopters. Finally, in 2019, Zach landed his dream job flying for Soloy Helicopters LLC out of Wasilla, Alaska. Zach quickly learned how to long-line, moving equipment around and working at remote camps geared towards industrial operations. It was at Soloy that Zach achieved his professional dream of flying for heli-skiers, earning a reputation as an excellent pilot and the respect of all his colleagues. He was seven months from fulfilling another dream of marrying his fiancee, Ashley, when the crash occurred.

Those motivated to support Zach's family and fiancee can find a GoFundMe memorial fund page set up for Zachary Russell. You'll know it when you see it, Zach wearing a no-holds-barred smile standing next to a helicopter.