It’s the phone call no one ever wants to get: The news that they will never be able to see someone they know and love again.
On July 25, friends and family of 20-year-old Zane Gaulke received that call after a tragic accident on the Oregon coast. Gaulke, a University junior, had been swimming on a retreat with his youth group at Cape Lookout State Park when he lost control in the water and began to drown. Friends tried to save him but couldn’t get to him in time.
Rescuers were able to get him out of the water, but Gaulke was unconscious. After being transported to Tillamook County General Hospital, attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead.
Back in Hermiston, Gaulke’s hometown, his best friend since kindergarten, David Large, received the heartbreaking news.
“It was pretty much a total shock. Just a really unexpected thing,” Large said.
For Landon Whitbread, a close friend since middle school, the call came came in the middle of the night.
“I was driving down from Seattle and his brother called me,” Whitbread said. “For the longest time, I was trying to figure out what happened.”
Driving at 12:30 a.m. on a mountain pass, answers were not readily available. Slowly details trickled in, but none of it softened the blow.
Gaulke was known for being funny and brilliant among his friends. He had spent most of his life hanging out with a close-knit group of guys, including Large and Whitbread.
“For me, Zane was comedy gold. He would sit and wait for the perfect time just to say that one-liner,” Whitebread said. “He never wasted his words.”
Gaulke had planned to major in environmental science, and had a passion for learning and reading.
“His mom used to have to take books away from him because he wanted to take the books into the shower,” Large recalled. “He’s always been an intellectual guy.”
Gaulke was also greatly involved in his community. He had played lacrosse in high school, was a Boy Scout for many years, and was frequently participating in activities at his his church.The church held a funeral that was attended by most of the town.
His brother Zach Gaulke, told the Eastern Oregonian one of the biggest reasons his brother was so special.
“He just did his own thing,” Zach Gaulke said. “He never really cared what might be cool or what other people thought about him.”
His friends honored him in their own way by holding a bonfire. College had separated the boys, but Zane Gaulke’s death had brought them back together.
“We each said something about him, and then threw some bacon into the fire,” Whitbread said. The bacon was just to add something a little extra to their remembrance. “And it smelled good,” Whitbread commented.
After the funeral, the boys watched one of Gaulke’s’s favorite movies, “Jurassic Park.”
“He’d always loved dinosaurs, so we figured that was a good way to remember him,” Large said.
Now that the boys have been brought back together, it’s important for them to keep in touch. In honor of their friend who helped bring them together in the first place.
“I realize I should be better in contact with people,” Whitbread said.  “It’s not really my forte, but I’ve been really trying to focus on keeping better in touch with all the guys.”
And of course, they will always remember the amazing friend they lost.
“He was always a really nice guy, which is probably the best thing about him,”  Large said. “Never made anyone particularly angry.”
It will take time, but they will never forget the wonderful person Zane was.