Obituaries

Zackery Joseph Leffler, 25, passed away suddenly on Tuesday December 5, 2023. He was born April 10, 1998. He was a son, brother, grandson, fiancé, friend, teammate, and daddy to Alfie. He was an exceptional human being. A brilliant young man who served as class president throughout his middle school years at Calvary Christian Academy and then onto his high school years at Walton Verona High School. He enjoyed playing soccer all four years for his high school. Zackery alway’s joked, he entered the field standing generously at 5 feet tall as a freshman. He and his best friend, Michael Martin were affectionately nicknamed “tater and tot.” However, on the pitch he quickly earned the nickname “Lefty Leffler” for his powerful left kick. Zack still enjoys the title of most assists at Walton Verona High School. Over the course of 4 years, he scored 39 goals and 43 assists—that’s 82 goal contributions in 60 games. Zackery began his college career at Thomas More College. There he helped his team win the conference championship. However, Zackery left there and eventually found his home on the Nitro (#11) at Northern Kentucky University. In addition, to athletics Zackery became the top performing economics student graduating in 2021 with Economics and Statistics degree. Zack had a mind for math and statistics which unfortunately still didn’t help his FanDuel account.

Zack was a thoughtful son, he seemed to always show wisdom beyond his years. Zack was affectionate and showered his parents with love. Zack was a wonderful brother to Kenton and his step siblings. He could always be counted on for counsel, a good laugh, the recent FCC/Premier League, NBA, or Football scores, and to grab a beer.

For as much as Zack was unlucky in golf and sports betting he hit the jackpot with the love of his life Lauren. They were recently engaged and had begun to plan for their wedding. Zack was the best provider to Lauren. He often had a warm dinner waiting for her, patience for long talks, and whispers of love in her ear.

Zackery’s death is profound and his life taught us how influential one person can be in a short 25 years. “What is terrible is not death but the lives people live or don’t live up until their death.” Rest peacefully our beautiful son, brother, grandson, fiancé, friend and teammate.

He was preceded in death by his two grandfather’s Ken Robbins and Vernon Leffler. Survivors include his fiancé Lauren Mulcahy, Father Joe (Chanda) Leffler, mother Shannon (Dave) Ponder, brother Kenton Leffler, brother Joey (Katie) Ponder, brother Jacob Ponder, brother Logan (Kristy) Smith, paternal grandmother Jeannie Leffler, maternal grandmother Carol (Al) Gripsover, numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, countless loving family members, close friends and teammates. Visitation will be held Wednesday December 13, 2023 from 3pm to 5pm with funeral services to follow at Crossroads Church 828 Heights Blvd. Florence, KY 41042. A reception will follow immediately after services are held at church. Memorial contributions can be made to the Zack Leffler Memorial Fund c/o any Republic Bank. Venmo@ZackLefflerMemorialFund. As a final tribute to Zack, all donations to his memorial will contribute to impacting youth soccer in the Greater Northern Kentucky area to honor his legacy. Online condolences can be made at www.linnemannfuneralhomes.com