Downers Grove North Alumnus Killed in Washington Wildfires

By AMIE SCHAENZER (Patch Staff)
Photo credit: WGN News

Rev. Mary Zajac, a senior pastor at Baker Memorial United Methodist Church in St. Charles, and her husband, Jim, are mourning the loss of their son, Andrew, who died Wednesday while battling wildfires in Washington State.

Andrew Zajac, 26, was among three firefighters killed in the blaze when their vehicle crashed and was overcome by flames, NBC reports. Zajac was a part of an engine crew from Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in central Washington.

The other two firefighters killed were Tom Zbyszewski, 20, and Richard Wheeler, 31.

Baker Memorial United Methodist church posted the following message on its Facebook page Thursday night:

It’s been a tough year for Mary Zajac who has been receiving treatment for breast cancer. She and her husband live in St. Charles and her husband works as a dentist at his practice in Downers Grove, The Daily Herald reports.

Zajac is a 2007 graduate of Downers Grove North High School where he was on the football team and also played the cello, the Chicago Tribune reports. He was a two-year starter at right tackle at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and received an honorable mention on the all-university athletic association team during his senior year. He earned his degree in biology from Case Western and a master’s of science degree from the University of South Dakota in 2014, according to his LinkedIn page.

Besides being an athlete, Andrew Zajac is being remembered as a hard-working outdoorsman. He was married and lived in Winthrop, Wash., where he was a wildland firefighter with the Forest Service, according to the Chicago Tribune.

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