Zachariah J. "Zach" Riggle

     Zachariah J. “Zach” Riggle, age 34, of Austin, Texas, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, May 5, 2023, in Austin, Texas.  Zach was born in Saratoga Springs, New York, on July 8, 1988, the son of James and Michelle (Searles) Riggle.

     Zach spent his childhood growing his love for travel and living across the country before his family eventually settled back in Michigan.  As a precocious child, he attended Creative Arts Academy and graduated from Lakeshore High School in 2006.  He attended Michigan State University majoring in computer science, learning through internships that led to his career in cyber security.  After graduating from Michigan State University in 2011, he pursued his passion for cyber security by working for the NSA and Google, before landing his dream job with Apple, Inc.  He enjoyed working as a Security Engineer and Researcher, his capabilities highly valued by his coworkers and friends alike.

     Zach enjoyed exploring new places, experiences, and he made friends everywhere he went.  Zach enjoyed traveling, even spending an entire year on what he called the “Zach is Homeless Tour” as he traveled the U.S. looking for a new place to live that checked all the boxes, settling on Austin, Texas.  He cultivated a passion for music; he enjoyed introducing friends and family to new bands, genres, and music festivals.  His other passion was photography, his photogenic skills, and travels allowed him to capture many extraordinary images.

     He is survived by his parents: Michelle Riggle and James and Michelle (Smith) Riggle; his sisters: Alicen (Ben) Perry, and Ashley Zelvis; his brothers: John Zelvis, and Alex Zavoral; his nephew and nieces: Phoenix, Savannah, Lilliana, and Addison; his grandparents: Marilyn Jensen, Carol Riggle, and Mike and Nora Riggle; as well as many aunts, uncles, and cousins.  Zach is also survived by friends who became family that understood the true meaning of friendship: Steven, Michael, Kat, Tara, Quinn, Andre, Ben, and many more.  He was preceded in death by his grandfather William “Bill” Searles, and step-grandparents William “Bill” and Dottie Smith.

     Funeral Services will be held at Smith Family Funeral Homes – Osgood Chapel, St. Johns, MI, on Saturday, May 13, 2023, at 11:00 A.M. with Pastor Mona Kindel officiating.  Visitation will be held at 10:30 A.M. until the time of the service at the funeral home. 

     In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Zach’s name to NAMI Southwest Michigan or the Michigan and NW Ohio Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.  Online Condolences may be made at www.smithfamilyfuneralhomes.com.  The family is being served by Smith Family Funeral Homes – Osgood Chapel, St. Johns, Michigan.