When ASU student Zachary Marco was fatally shot in a robbery attempt in October, his family and friends were confronted with a jarring reality: Anyone can die at any time. Life is not infinite.
“[I learned] there is no eternity,” said Dan Marco, Marco’s father, “which makes whatever you’re doing in the moment more important than it used to be.”
Marco was 21 years old and studying political science when he was shot for his laptop and cell phone outside his apartment complex on University Drive, just east of Scottsdale Road.
Since he died, his family and friends have been trying to find “a new normal,” as one friend put it.
One of Marco’s longtime friends, kinesiology junior Sam Becker, said the death taught him how precious life is. Becker said he does not take things for granted as much and tries to stay on good terms with people.
After Marco died, Dan Marco said he found out just how great of an impact his son made on other people’s lives. From a diverse group that included friends, teachers and students Zachary tutored, the Marco family received an outpouring of sentiment so large they kept having to make bigger funeral plans.
Even the Arizona Senate, where Zachary Marco was a page, sent the Marco family a book signed by every member and employee of the Senate, down to the cafeteria workers. Everyone knew him because he would take time out of his day to joke and chat with them, Dan Marco said.
He was nice to everyone he thought was a good person, Marco added.
“He had no hierarchy in his thinking,” he said. “He judged people solely on whether he thought they were performing acts in the philosophy of the greater good.”
Becker said his friend, who was an honors student determined to be a lawyer and politician, worked harder for his goals than anyone else he knew.
“When he wanted something, he went for it,” Becker said. “No matter how hard it was, he did it. He was definitely special. I think that makes his death even sadder.”
Katie Marco, Zachary’s sister, 19, who lives with her parents and sister in Mesa, said things around her house have felt emptier lately.
“The worst thing for me is thinking about when I get older and have kids, they’ll never get to meet their Uncle Zack,” she said.
Reflecting Becker’s stories, Katie Marco said her brother valued good grades and always pushed her to do better.
“I remember the first time I got an A on a test,” she said. “I was so proud, and I was like, ‘Zack, I got a 92 on my anatomy test,’ and he was like, ‘Where’s the plus after that A?’”
Katie Marco said she feels like she can never slack now because her brother is in the back of her mind, still prodding her to do her best. She took this semester off of ASU because she said she would not have done well, but plans to continue studying kinesiology in the fall.
To commemorate her brother, Katie Marco got a tattoo on her back of music notes from “Piano Man” by Billy Joel, Marco’s favorite song.
Marco’s mom got her son’s name tattooed on the back of her neck, and her sister, 15, is waiting until she is older to get the same tattoo, Katie Marco said.
Dan Marco has been writing a blog called “My Son Zack.” The blog, where he shares stories and emotions, is part of his grieving process.
Many people identify with the blog because they can identify with loss in general, he said.
“It doesn’t have to be a bullet,” Dan Marco said. “It doesn’t have to be a dead son. It can be a grandparent, parent, dog, sister, brother; it can be an automobile accident, illness or disease.”
A family friend who was touched by Marco’s story started the Zachary Marco/Light of Day Foundation and bought enough school supplies for a year for an orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya. The foundation is taking donations to fund more projects furthering education, as Zachary found that important.
Dan Marco, who was a criminal defense lawyer until Zachary’s murder, said thoughts of his son intrude on him every moment of every day. He had been planning on working together with Zachary in law, but now his future is unclear.
The Marco family is still awaiting legal justice.
Two suspects have been arrested, and both are facing charges of first-degree murder.
Trial for the alleged gunman, Louis Harper, is not scheduled until January 2013.
Since the case is under investigation, Tempe Police spokeswoman Molly Enright said she could not release any new information.
Dan Marco urged students to take precautions and be aware of their surroundings so they do not become victims like his son.
Students are easy targets for criminals because they carry around laptops, cell phones and iPods in plain view, he said.
“Don‘t think there’s no one watching,” Dan Marco said. “There’s always someone watching. They’re looking for the vulnerable, the alone, the easiest to [steal from].”
In a second, Marco was murdered on a well-lit street while walking home from the ASU library. The repercussions of what happened in that second will last a lifetime for his family and friends.
“It feels like he’s just gone on a really long vacation,” Katie Marco said. “But he won’t come back.”
Reach the reporter at kkfrost@asu.edu
