A tearful candlelight vigil in Mission Bay memorialized the Navy service member killed in a suspected road rage crash, a man remembered as a friend to everyone.
Chief Petty Officer Zach Buob, 39, died on May 28 when his motorcycle was hit over by driver Darla Renee Jackson, 26. Investigators say Jackson ran over Buob intentionally, though she has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge against her.
On Tuesday, fellow service members and bikers alike gathered on the beach to honor Buob, starting with a Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer for their lost loved one.
“He was sweet, and he was funny, and he was crazy, and he loved his country,” said friend Kathy Cramer. “He loved his family; he loved his friends; he loved God and he loved his bike.”
Cramer recalled Buob coming to her office and always making a bee-line for the refrigerator. But full or hungry, Buob never lost his integrity, she said. Cramer was amazed by the high turnout at the vigil.
“It means so much that so many of you have never even met him … but if you did have the pleasure of knowing Zach, you would know that he was worth every bit of this and more,” said Cramer.
Gary Klopp, who often rode with Buob on track days, told the crowd you would never think his friend was with Navy Special Warfare — an elite group that takes on dangerous missions — because he was so relaxed.
Klopp recounted his most recent trip to the track, when he stalled while taking a corner.
“My last memory of Zach coming up, and he stops and he goes, ‘Ha ha ha,’ like that,” Klopp described, pointing his finger. “And he just took off. That was Zach, always finding a joke, a humor, a moment.”
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As many in the group swapped memories and lit their candles, organizers wanted visitors to walk away with a warning: if you’re a driver, watch out for motorcyclists. If you’re a motorcyclist, watch out for other drivers.
“We just hope that something really good will come out of it and if this makes other people aware on the road, including myself and all you bikers, then that’s something good that came out of it for him,” said Cramer’s daughter Nicole.
Buob served 20 years in the military, and his friends mourned the fact that despite carrying out so many tours, he died in his home country.
Jackson, the driver accused of killing him, is being held on a $1 million bail. Her attorney, Stephen Cline, said the fatal crash was an accident. That day, Buob sped past her and kicked her car after getting back about something, the attorney said.
When Jackson chased him, Cline said they collided, and Buob went under Jackson’s car. He died a short time later at the hospital.
