Zachary David “Zach” Fuhrman

Zachary David “Zach” Fuhrman was born on June 17, 1986, in Indianapolis, Indiana to his loving parents, Catherine and David. He passed away on March 15, 2024 in Greenfield, Indiana at the age of 37.

Throughout his childhood, it was evident that he had his mother’s fervent heart and father’s spirit of inquiry. These are traits that could be seen throughout his entire life. Zach experienced a childhood with his siblings full of adventures, learning, and occasional mischief. He attended North Central High School and following in his father’s footsteps, enlisted in the United States Marine Corps (USMC) in April 2004 at the age of 17. He served as a proud 0311 Infantryman (grunt, oorah!) and felt an enduring loyalty and dedication to his fellow Marines well beyond his time on active duty.

He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Associate of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from Indiana University Purdue University-Indianapolis (IUPUI) in 2011. During his time as a student at IUPUI, he joined with his sister, Sam, again following in their father’s footsteps, and competed in the Purdue University Grand Prix (PGP) student run race. In 2010, Zach eagerly took the helm as driver of one of his team’s go karts, cementing him in PGP history as the heaviest driver on record, a title he relished. Larger than his size in a go kart was his personality – another unforgettable and lifelong trait.

After college he served as the IT Support Specialist, Help Desk Teacher, and Coach at Herron High School. During this time, he implemented a 1:1 tablet initiative for 750 students with 12 student interns, allowing students to access resources and additional learning capabilities. He was hands-on with student’s media projects, sports programs, and security.

Zach was a business owner of Wolfgang Otto Landsknecht Freelance, LLC (WOLF), a nod to his German ancestors. His wide-ranging business ventures included traveling to Kurdistan, Iraq in 2014 to research terrorism, security, and the people of Iraq as he was involved in numerous media projects and teaching English to school aged children. He released a video documentaries on Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s “Tent City”, featured on Al Jazeera, and The Heart Attack Grill, in Chandler, Arizona, among many other media releases and publications. He wrote and published the book, “PGP: A History of Students Helping Students”, which was a labor of love and historical documentation of the “Greatest Spectacle in College Racing”. He also participated in journalism investigations that brought him to areas of interest near and far to expose illegal pharmacies and their campaign to market to US veterans.

Zach was called again to serve in the line of duty, this time being law enforcement. He was a Case Manager and Public Information Officer with Marion County Community Corrections (MCCC) where he managed the Opioid Supervision Unit, a first in the nation grant funded pilot program, established the Naloxone Pilot Program with Overdose Lifeline, assisted in over 300 warrants with IMPD, MCSO, and Southport Police Departments, and much more. He joined the Shirley Police Department in 2019 and was blessed with the caring community he proudly served.

He graduated from the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy in 2022 in the 227th Basic Training Session amongst piers and dear friends whom he would lay his life down for. He served as the School Resource Officer (SRO) at Eastern Hancock School Corporation, which was an honor and privilege to him. He genuinely loved and admired his students. The daily fist bumps, interactions, and laughs brought him such joy. Knowing his students will work hard and impact the world in a positive way gave him such hope in the next generation.

A man of many talents and interests, Zach excelled in photography, writing, firearm handling, collecting things of interest to him and others, cooking steaks in an air fryer, looking out for those less fortunate, emergency preparedness, and holding the never-ending desire to find an impactful purpose in this world. In 2015, he was a bone marrow match for someone who had a 0.001% chance of finding their match and immediately answered the call to save a life. He responded to multiple accidents over his life and saved the lives of many in the process, including a newborn baby in Texas. His ongoing impact on others reaches far and wide.

He is survived by his mother, Catherine; father, David; sisters, Bridget, Samantha (John), Sarah; brother, Seth; loving girlfriend, Nicole, and his beloved dog, Sarge. He is also survived by many family members and friends that love him dearly. Zach was preceded in death by his grandparents, Jack, Rosemary, Kenneth, and Carol.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that any donations be made to Blue Angel Connect, https://blueangelconnect.org/.

A memorial service to honor and celebrate the life of Zachary David Fuhrman will be held on March 30, 2024 at 4:00 PM at Wilkinson Church of Christ, 7293 N SR 109, Wilkinson, IN 46186. Visitation will be from 1:00 PM until the time of the service. Military rites will be conducted by the United States Marine Corp and the Knightstown American Legion. Anyone with the desire to celebrate the life of our unforgettable hero is welcome to attend. Zach’s services have been entrusted to Condo & St. Pierre Funeral Home.