Zacharie Giroux

July 8, 1976 - November 22, 2016

Zacharie (Zac) Giroux of Newberg, passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home on Nov. 22nd 2016. Zac was born in London, England. He grew up in Newberg, attending Ewing Young Grade School, other local schools, and graduating from Aloha High School. His love of travel and languages took him all over the world; he lived in Mexico where he taught English and later travelled widely in Europe and Asia before entering the US Air Force, where he served for 11 years as a Cryptologic Language Analyst. After attending the Defence Language Institute in Monterey CA, he served three years in Korea and the remainder of his career in the Washington DC area. He was accredited in five languages with fluency in 12. Zac was also committed to his volunteer work as a medical interpreter. Zac was an avid outdoorsman, an accomplished white water rafter, snow boarder, hiker and disc golfer. He loved being in nature. Zac's circle of friends was enormous and he could be relied on to turn any gathering into an adventure. His love of life was huge. He will be sorely missed by many. Survivors include his father Jerry Giroux of Seattle, his mother, Christine Paull and stepfather Dave Paull of Portland, half sisters, Ivy Hudson of Portland, Denise Scioli of Austin, Texas, and Sharel Firstenberger of Philadelphia. Nieces, Sonoma Clampitt of Austin, Myra Musgrove, New York, Sulekha Moler of Austin and step brother Justin Paull of Portland. Other survivors include his fiance Beth Manhat, many cousins and Aunts & Uncles in England, as well as his faithful dog Flapjack. A private memorial will be held for family members followed by a ceremony with full military honors at Willamette National Cemetery, date yet to be determined. Donations can be made to Paws Assisting Veterans Inc. (PAVE) Cornelius OR. paveusa.org