BELCHERTOWN — Black clothing is not suggested at Zachary Fraleigh’s visitation hours on Saturday.

Instead, the 16-year-old’s family recommends a dress code for his celebration of life to include a Hawaiian shirt or his favorite color — pink.

“We decided to make the services a celebration of his life and not be dreary and sad,” his mother, Stephanie Fraleigh, said. “Do not wear black and come here crying.”

Fraleigh, a junior at Belchertown High School, was killed in a single-vehicle car crash on North Washington Street, May 2. There was no one else in the car.

The celebration of life will be held Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. at Beers & Story Funeral Home, 10 Maple St. in Belchertown. 

Inside, attendees will be welcomed into what the Fraleigh family, Stephanie, her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Alyssa, describe as the “Zachary Fraleigh experience,” with stories lining all the walls of the funeral home from all of the people who have reached out in the past week.

After collectively experiencing a couple of deaths over the last few years, the family decided that a celebration of Zachary’s life made the most sense.

“Zach hated funerals. He never wanted to go. He’d be so upset,” said Alyssa, his older sister. “One of the last ones we went to, I kept having to cough to cover up him trying to make me laugh.”

‘ZFrals’

Fraleigh, or “Zach,” “ZFrals” or “Frals” as he was known by his friends and coaches, was born on July 5, 2005. He played as a defender for the Belchertown High School varsity soccer team, as well as the Boston Bolts West 05 ECRL team. He was proud to have helped Belchertown to a state championship win and his Bolts team to a national championship, according to Stephanie.

His passion for soccer was something that his family supported since he was first drawn to the sport at 5 years old, having attended almost every single practice and game.

“He’s my brother. … It was something he was so passionate about that it made me want to be there and share in that passion with him,” said Alyssa. “We were so close — we are so close.”

Fraleigh also had a fondness for music, playing the alto saxophone when he was younger, and he taught himself how to play the piano while in high school.

Outside of sports, Fraleigh looked forward to trips to Starbucks and Taco Bell, and taking car rides with his sister and their two dogs, Kona and Apollo.

When Alyssa was a senior in high school, she drove her brother, who was a freshman at the time, to school every day. They’d share in daily gum selection — always having the same flavor — and talk the entire drive.

“He was my best friend,” she said. “And even when I went off to college, I thought we’d drift, but I think we got closer. He wasn’t super affectionate, but every time I’d come back home or have to leave, I got my hug. … It’s funny though, what you think about when something like this happens … this time, I didn’t get my hug before he left.”

His father described his son as laid-back, often enjoying simple pleasures in life like a backyard campfire complete with toasted marshmallows.

Stephanie Fraleigh said her son’s laughter is something she hopes resonates with everyone. With an infectious smile, endless jokes and a goofy personality, he made it a point to make others laugh on a daily basis, she recalled.

From the different destinations he’d traveled to and his constant ability to try to learn how to do new things, to his efforts to help clean up tornado debris in Monson and volunteering to help deliver groceries to senior citizens in town, she said her son truly lived his life.

“There aren’t enough hours in the day to even begin to describe who Zach was as a person, and who he may have become. So many thoughts have crossed our minds over the last week since his passing, among them … we will never see Zach grow up, we will never see him get married or have children. We will never take another family vacation or share in a family holiday celebration with him. We will never share another birthday cake with him or celebrate him around the campfire, as always was his choice. We will never watch him play another soccer game or hear him play another song on the piano … the list is endless,” she said.

“What I can say is this: in the short 16 years that he was on this earth, Zach lived. He lived more of a life than many people have at 100 years old.”

A community reacts

Over the past week, the community has shown an outpouring of support.

The day following the crash, Stephanie Fraleigh described how more than 100 young people showed up at her home to drop off flowers and exchange embraces. Some 15 people camped out on the Belchertown family’s front porch.

“They didn’t want to come inside and bother us, but they wanted us to know that they were there,” she said.

Students and teachers erected a memorial around Zachary Fraleigh’s parking spot at the high school. From handwritten notes in chalk and folded-up paper to candles and cans of Bang energy drinks, mementos lined the spot in memoriam.

Mementos were also left at the site of the crash on North Washington Street. The owner of the property, Travis LaMothe, indicated on a public Facebook post that he wanted to offer the site as a place of mourning. He worked with neighbors to provide lighting to the site, bottles of water and even bathroom usage for those that needed it.

“We are here for you and your families,” he wrote in a May 3 post. “Anything we can do to make this experience at all bearable for you, please say so.”

On that Tuesday, a vigil was held at the high school by Fraleigh’s parking spot.

“The candlelight vigil, that was really hard because it was the day after it happened. … I remember looking around, I’m looking at all these kids that are so broken by this. There’s so much love. He was so loved,” said Alyssa.

On Friday, May 5, the entire student body, faculty and staff sported pink in honor of Fraleigh, who on many occasions could be seen wearing bright pink soccer cleats or his pink suit — a soft pink blazer, pink-striped tie, a tucked-in pink Oxford and pink trousers. The school also hosted a pink balloon release.

In an effort to assist with funeral expenses and services to aid the family, Fraleigh’s aunt Donna Armitage created a GoFundMe with a goal of $25,000, which generated nearly double that amount with more than $47,000 in donations in less than a week.

The family has since created the Zachary Fraleigh Memorial Fund. Though the family has not finalized any plans yet, they hope to create some kind of scholarship for a soccer player or musician. Donations to the fund are currently being accepted at Country Bank 75 Main St. Ware, MA 01082.

“I don’t think there’s a person in this town who didn’t like Zach, but as far as the overwhelming support, we are blown away,” Stephanie Fraleigh said. “I feel like our entire town is giving us a huge hug, like every day.”

Emily Thurlow can be reached at ethurlow@gazettenet.com.]]>