Henry Michael Zurkow

Henry Zurkow, born December 22, 1998, passed away suddenly but peacefully at home in Scarsdale on Saturday, July 16, 2022.  Henry possessed boundless intellectual curiosity and was known by family and friends for his limitless ability to listen, his warmth, his empathy, his self-starter qualities, and his authenticity. Although only 23 at the time of his death, Henry lived a very full life.

A life-long Scarsdale resident, Henry was recently based in Boulder, CO, where he attended the University of Colorado with a special interest in philosophy and psychology. At Scarsdale High School, from which he graduated in 2017, Henry was a standout athlete, co-captaining the football team, which reached the Section 1 finals, and playing on the ice hockey team, which twice reached the semi-finals of the state championships.

Henry’s greatest love was hiking the outdoors.  He was attracted both to the physical challenge and the thoughtfulness of a solitary venture in nature, often hiking 10,000 feet in elevation and 30 miles in a single day.  Undeterred by the isolation of Covid, Henry hiked the 46 high peaks of the Adirondacks almost four complete times from the summer of 2020 through the fall of 2021, including a solo winter 46er during 17 snow-covered, sub-freezing days in January 2021.  Although the North Country of New York was his favorite place, he moved to Colorado principally to tackle its peaks.  He also played guitar and piano with a passion, drawing strong influences from Jimi Hendrix and Gary Clark, Jr., while furthering his lifelong interest in reading and writing both poetry and music.  Not surprisingly, Thoreau was a favorite.  In the summer months, Henry mentored younger generations as a head counselor at Camp Lincoln in Keysville, New York, where he compassionately cared for the youngest campers and led overnight hiking trips for campers of all ages.

Henry was a co-owner of Le Verbena de la Burra, a small bar/restaurant in Zacatlán de Las Manzanas, Mexico in the mountains of Central Mexico.  Henry was particularly proud of Le Verbena’s reputation for serving pulque, a 2,000 year-old Aztec beverage made by local farmers from the fermented sap of the maguey plant.  At the time of his passing, he was planning a work and hiking trip to visit his partners in Mexico, as well as the farm suppliers of La Verbena’s pulque.

Henry is survived and deeply missed by his loving parents, Erica and Peter Zurkow, brothers Ben Zurkow and Jake Zurkow, Grandmothers Lysbeth Zurkow and Gabrielle Gross, and by many loving aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. For those who wish to memorialize Henry in some way, the family suggests contributions in Henry’s memory to www.chiefsfund.org , a not-for-profit scholarship fund run in connection with Camp Lincoln to allow underprivileged children to discover the wonders of the outdoors in the Adirondack Park.