“Dad, you have no idea how much I hurt inside.”
“In middle school, we were both in the clown troupe,” said Gretchen as her face lit up. Sarah added that she and her friend Gretchen had “cute brothers” as the smiling and laughter continued. When I asked Gretchen about her favorite mem- ory of Zach, “Where do I start? I was the younger sister that was always able to tag along with my big brother. He was a good brother.” In 1996 when Gretchen and her fami- ly moved from Dover to Wooster, she remembers it being a good time to move as she was beginning seventh grade, and it was the transition from elementary school to middle school. The change was easy as everyone was “new,” added Sarah. Howev- er, the adjustment was more challenging for her big brother Zach, as he was about to start his sophomore year in high school. Gretchen remembers being aware that he was “struggling, but that he was her big
G retchen (Souers) Berndt entered The Village Network Lobby on November 16, 2022, to attend the dedication of the plaque for the Zach Souers Giving Hope Fund, a fund start- ed to honor her brother. Surprisingly, she recognized a school friend that she had not seen in years, Sarah McFarland. Sarah works for The Village Network in the Performance Compliance Quality Improvement department. As I watched the two reconnect, it became obvious that I needed to share this part of Zach’s story. I arranged a lunch date for the three of us, found myself with two women who quickly took me back to seventh grade in middle school. When I asked the first question, “How did you meet?”, the exact resounding words came out, “clown troupe.” Written by: Matthew Scruggs, Donor Services and Events Manager
brother, and their relationship was the same.”
Zach was a senior when Gretchen and Sarah entered high school as freshmen. Sarah’s brother Matthew was also a senior with Zach. Gretchen’s dad was the football coach, and she was a cheerleader. Mom was in the stands, cheering every- one on! It was the quintessential high school experience, and they had a typical brother-and-sister relationship. “[Zach] picked on me,” but I was “off-limits to any other team members” as Zach’s little sister. Gretchen laughed about “Buddy, the 22-pound black cat,” who also “dressed up like a clown; Zach loved buddy,” she rem- inisced. Gretchen and Sarah continued to share favorite memories of “Friday night football games at Triway High School” and many “happy times” with Zach, where he was “happiest when playing sports,” Gretchen recalled.
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SPRING / SUMMER 2023 . THE VILLAGE NETWORK
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