Zachary David Thomas Waltman, known to many as Zach Waltman, died on September 16, 2026, at the age of 22. His death has drawn attention in Wilmette, Illinois, and among people connected with Michigan State University, where he was part of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity community.
His obituary confirms his death date, age and family information, while local reporting has described the response from the Michigan State community and a fundraising effort created in his memory. The publicly available obituary, however, does not give a cause of death.
Latest Update: September 27, 2026
As of September 27, 2026, Zach Waltman’s death is confirmed, but the cause of death has not been publicly disclosed in the obituary information reviewed. His family arranged a visitation and funeral Mass for September 25 at Saint Francis Xavier Church in Wilmette.
Michigan State’s Interfraternity Council also acknowledged the death of a member of its fraternity community and canceled recruitment events on September 17 out of respect and to support members of the community. The Phi Gamma Delta chapter, also known as Fiji, later publicly announced Waltman’s death.
Important: The cause of Zach Waltman’s death has not been established by the reliable sources reviewed for this article. Reports online have connected his name with suicide-prevention fundraising, but that does not independently establish that suicide was his cause of death.
What Happened to Zach Waltman?
Zach Waltman died on September 16, 2026, according to his obituary. He was 22 years old. The obituary does not provide details explaining how or where he died.
That lack of detail is important because several online pages have published claims about the circumstances of his death. Those claims should not be treated as confirmed unless they are supported by the family, an official record or another reliable source.
The Lansing State Journal reported that Michigan State’s Phi Gamma Delta chapter announced Waltman’s death on September 20. The report described him as a fraternity member, student, athlete and hockey player, and said his family was working to establish a mental-health organization in his memory.
Who Was Zach Waltman?
Zachary David Thomas Waltman was born on September 3, 2004, and was from Wilmette, Illinois. He died 13 days after his 22nd birthday. His obituary lists his parents as Angela Thomas-Santos and Chris Waltman, along with his stepfamily and sisters.
His connection to Michigan State University brought him into a wider student and fraternity community in East Lansing. The university’s Interfraternity Council referred to the deceased person as a member of its fraternity community when it announced the cancellation of recruitment events following the death.
Zach Waltman and Michigan State University
Waltman was associated with the Michigan State University chapter of Phi Gamma Delta, commonly known as Fiji. Following his death, the fraternity chapter shared a message remembering him and describing the impact he had on people around him.
The Lansing State Journal reported that the Interfraternity Council canceled recruitment events scheduled for September 17 following the death. The organization said the decision was made to show respect and support members of the fraternity community.
His connection to MSU is one reason his death received attention beyond Wilmette. Students and fraternity members in East Lansing were among those affected by the loss.
Zach Waltman Family
According to his obituary, Zach was survived by his parents, Angela Thomas-Santos and Chris Waltman. His listed family also included his stepfather Jeff Santos, stepmother Katie Thomas, and sisters Caroline, Colleen and Christina. He also left stepbrothers John, Justin, Joey, Christian and Ryder, along with extended family members and many friends.
The obituary’s family listing provides the clearest publicly available information about his immediate relatives. It does not provide extensive personal details about each family member.
Zach Waltman Age and Birth Date
Zach Waltman was 22 years old when he died. His obituary gives his date of birth as September 3, 2004, and his date of death as September 16, 2026.
He had therefore recently celebrated his 22nd birthday before his death.
Zach Waltman Hometown
Zach Waltman was associated with Wilmette, Illinois, a community north of Chicago. His obituary identifies Wilmette as his location, and local reporting also described him as having grown up there.
His funeral services were also held in Wilmette, allowing relatives, friends and members of the community to gather in his memory.
Zach Waltman Funeral and Memorial Service
The obituary listed visitation for Friday, September 25, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Saint Francis Xavier Church in Wilmette. A funeral Mass followed at 11 a.m. at the same church.
The church is located at 912 Linden Avenue in Wilmette. The obituary also provided information about a livestream of the memorial service for people who could not attend in person.
Mental Health Fundraiser in Zach Waltman’s Memory
Following Zach’s death, his family launched a fundraising campaign focused on creating mental-health and suicide-prevention resources for college students. The Lansing State Journal reported that the proposed organization would aim to provide crisis resources, prevention education, peer support and connections to professional care.
The fundraiser’s purpose has led some online reports to state or imply a specific cause of death. However, the existence of a suicide-prevention fundraiser does not by itself confirm how Zach died. The public obituary reviewed for this article does not disclose a cause of death.
That distinction is important when reporting on a young person’s death. Information about memorial projects can be reported without turning the project’s purpose into an unsupported statement about the circumstances of the death.
How Is Zach Waltman Being Remembered?
The Phi Gamma Delta chapter described Zach in a message shared after his death as someone who could light up a room. The chapter’s statement used words including charismatic, hilarious and wonderful when remembering him.
The fundraising information also describes Zach as a brother, son, friend, student, athlete, hockey player, sports fan and person who valued physical fitness. These descriptions provide a picture of the activities and relationships that were important to those remembering him.
For his family, the mental-health initiative represents an effort to create something lasting from their loss and provide support to students who may be struggling.
Quick Facts About Zach Waltman
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Zachary David Thomas Waltman |
| Known as | Zach Waltman |
| Date of birth | September 3, 2004 |
| Date of death | September 16, 2026 |
| Age at death | 22 |
| Hometown | Wilmette, Illinois |
| Michigan State connection | Phi Gamma Delta fraternity community |
| Cause of death | Not publicly disclosed in the obituary reviewed |
| Visitation | September 25, 2026, 9 a.m.–11 a.m. |
| Funeral Mass | September 25, 2026, 11 a.m. |
| Church | Saint Francis Xavier Church, Wilmette, Illinois |
Reader Questions
What happened to Zach Waltman?
Zachary David Thomas Waltman died on September 16, 2026, at age 22. His obituary confirms his death but does not publicly disclose the circumstances or cause of death.
How old was Zach Waltman when he died?
Zach Waltman was 22 years old. His obituary gives his birth date as September 3, 2004, and his death date as September 16, 2026.
Where was Zach Waltman from?
Zach was from Wilmette, Illinois. His obituary identifies Wilmette as his community, and local reporting says he grew up there.
Was Zach Waltman a Michigan State University student?
He was connected with Michigan State University’s Phi Gamma Delta fraternity community. The university’s Interfraternity Council acknowledged the death of a fraternity-community member and canceled recruitment events in response.
What was Zach Waltman’s cause of death?
The cause of death has not been publicly disclosed in the obituary information reviewed. Reports about the circumstances should therefore be treated cautiously unless they are confirmed by the family or an authoritative source.
Was Zach Waltman’s death confirmed?
Yes. His obituary records that he died on September 16, 2026, and local reporting separately confirmed that his Michigan State fraternity chapter announced his death.
When was Zach Waltman’s funeral?
Visitation was scheduled for September 25, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., followed by a funeral Mass at 11 a.m. at Saint Francis Xavier Church in Wilmette.
Why was a mental-health fundraiser created for Zach Waltman?
His family created a fundraiser to support plans for an organization providing mental-health and suicide-prevention resources to college students. The reported goal includes crisis resources, prevention education, peer support and connections to professional care.
Wrap-Up
Zach Waltman’s death on September 16, 2026, has affected both his Wilmette hometown and people connected with Michigan State University. He was 22 years old, and his obituary records his family, funeral arrangements and the date of his passing.
His memory is also being connected to an effort by his family to expand mental-health and suicide-prevention resources for college students. That initiative is an important part of the family’s response to his death, but it should not be used to assume a cause of death that has not been publicly confirmed.
For now, the confirmed facts are that Zachary David Thomas Waltman died at age 22 on September 16, 2026, and that his family, friends and Michigan State fraternity community have publicly mourned his passing. Details about how he died remain undisclosed in the reliable obituary information reviewed.
Disclaimer
This article is based on publicly available obituary and news reports reviewed on September 27, 2026. The cause of Zach Waltman’s death has not been publicly disclosed in the reliable sources cited here. Claims circulating online about the circumstances of his death should not be treated as confirmed unless supported by the family, an official record or another authoritative source.
