Teen Driver Dies, Community Pours Out Its Grief

A Celebration of Life Service has been scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 6, for 16-year-old Zachary Douglas McCarthy, who died Jan. 2 after losing control of his car near the intersection of Natures Way and Golf Meadow Boulevard. The 6 p.m. service is set for the chapel at Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon, at 2101 Bell Shoals Road.

In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that donations be made to the Bloomingdale High School Music Department, according to McCarthy's online obituary at Southern Funeral Care.

McCarthy, who lived in the Bloomingdale area of Valrico, was a student at Bloomingdale High, where he was active in the band, chorus and Ambassadors show choir, and a member of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Riverview.

He is surived by his parents, Doug and Jean McCarthy; brothers, Benjamin, and sister, Grace; paternal grandparents, Bill and Barbara McCarthy, and paternal great-grandfather, Jim Smeenge, all of Lakeland; and maternal grandparents, Gil and Patti Tybring, of Mulberry.

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EARLIER: ARTICLE POSTED JAN. 3 (with Jan. 4 update)

A candlelght vigil, roadside memorial and continuing posts on Facebook give testament to a community crying out in grief over the death of 16-year-old Zachary McCarthy of Valrico, who died Jan. 2 after losing contol of his car near the intersection of Natures Way and Golf Meadow Boulevard.

The oldest of three children, McCarthy was "very funny," "very giving" and "shared anything he had," according to his mother, Jean, as quoted in a Bloomingdale-Riverivew Patch report on the Jan. 3 candlelight vigil at Natures Way.

"God blessed us with 16 years with a wonderful and loving son," said McCarthy's father, Doug, in a Facebook post thanking the community for its support.

At the vigil, people who knew McCarthy gave testament to a young life filled with great dreams and great promise.

• See Large Turnout at Candlelight Village Closes Natures Way

Earlier in the day Jan. 3, as news spread about the teen's death, people used their Facebook accounts to reach out and connect in grief.

"Please hug your loved ones just a little tighter tonight everyone . . . praying for Zach's family during this horrible time," reads one Facebook post, from a Bloomingdale High graduate. "Such a nice kid, this is absolutely heartbreaking."

In addition to remembrances posted on individual Facebook pages, a Facebook fan page, RIP Zach McCarthy, has been set up in the teen's memory (see update below). The page had more than 2,780 likes as of 6:20 a.m. Jan. 4.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, in a report on the accident, said it occurred at around 9:25 p.m., when McCarthy, traveling westbound, lost control "for an unknown reason" and spun out of control.

The vehicle, a 2000 Pontiac Grand Am, "struck a tree with the driver's door after leaving the roadway."

McCarthy died after being transported to Tampa General Hospital.

The passenger in his car, Michaela Faessler, a 15-year-old student at Bloomingdale High, was not injured, according to the report.

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Hundreds Drawn to Candlelight Vigil on Natures Way in Bloomingdale
(Posted Jan. 4, 2013) 

Parents and students gathered for a Jan. 3 candlelight vigil at the site where McCarthy lost his life in a traffic accident one night earlier. Mourners also attended a memorial at St. Stephen Catholic Church, designed to give teens a safe place to express and share their grief. Bloomingdale-Riverview Patch Editor D'Ann White reported on the reflections and remembrances of the mourners at the vigil, which because of its large turnout, closed Natures Way.

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Candlelight Vigil, Roadside Memorial For Zachary McCarthy
(Posted Jan. 3, 2013) 

Bloomingdale High School students were planning a Jan. 3 candlelight vigil at the crash site, where a roadside memorial in tribute to McCarthy has taken shape and continues to grow, according to a report posted by Editor D'Ann White at Bloomingdale-Riverview Patch. The vigil is set to begin at 9:30 p.m.

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Music Showcase Instructor Remembers Zachary McCarthy
(Posted Jan. 3, 2013) 

Migue Oquendo, a voice teacher at Music Showcase in Brandon, said he gave private lessons to McCarthy. "Zach was one of the nicest kids, always a smile on his face," Oquendo said in a Bloomingdale-Riverview Patch report. "He was just an amazing young man and he touched a lot of lives."

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St. Stephen Catholic Church Opens Doors to Grieving Teens
(Posted Jan. 3, 2013) 

Teens are invited to gather from 5 to 9 p.m. Jan. 3 at St. Stephen Catholic Church in Valrico to mourn together.

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RIP Zach McCarthy Facebook Fan Page
(Posted Jan. 3, 2013) 

The Facebook page in memory of McCarthy's life had more than 1,800 likes as of early afternoon Jan. 3. "Seeing 1,000 likes on this page just shows how close Bloomingdale really is!" notes one fan. McCarthy was a member of the Bloomingdale High School band and band members were discussing whether to wear band shirts in his honor on the first day back to school. Another post noted that students should wear black on the first day back. Students are back in school after the winter holidays on 

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Visit Bloomingdale-Riverview Patch for continuing coverage. Update links will be posted here as well.

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