ELLICOTTVILLE, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Ellicottville community came together to honor the life and legacy of 24-year-old Zachary Golley, who was tragically killed in March after a Department of Public Works truck that he was driving was hit by a train.
Family, friends and co-workers remember Golley as someone who dedicated his life to helping others.
"It's hard no matter what, but I don't want people to forget about him," said Debbie Golley, his mother.
Debbie said she remembered the moment she learned of his injuries.
"We got the call, and I knew it was bad, she said. "They told us that night his brain injury was so severe he would not make it."
Zach left behind a fiancée, whom he was set to marry in September, and their baby, Bailey.
"He died about six weeks before her first birthday, but he was so proud to be a dad," Debbie said. "He called her 'baby girl,' and he loved Emily, his fiancée, so much."
Known affectionately as a "Zach of all trades," a name he carried both personally and professionally, Zach's mother said it perfectly described him.
He served as assistant fire chief for this village and helped neighbors with tasks like plowing their yards. He also worked at Ellicottville's wastewater treatment plant.
In tribute to that spirit and dedication, the wastewater treatment plant now bears his name, with an eagle beside it, as a symbol of his legacy.
Joe Lowry, chief operator at the plant, worked with Zach for nearly three years and described him as "truly one of a kind."
"Seeing the sign and having that dedication will be a very long-lasting remembrance, and he deserves every minute of it," Lowry said.
WATCH: 'He deserves every minute of this': Ellicottville honors late DPW worker Zach Golley with memorial dedication
The village's dedication is a permanent reminder of Zach Golley's life, his service to the community and the impact he made in those 24 years.
"You can make a legacy at any age," Debbie said. "He started leaving his legacy very early."
