NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas – Brandon Greenberg remembers his stepson, Zachary Collie-Moreno, as someone with a big smile and even bigger ambitions.
“Anything that he was interested in, he learned everything about it,” Greenberg said. “He was the kind of kid that was infectious. Anybody that was around him, they wanted to hear his stories.”
Collie-Moreno, 20, died during a plane crash near Oshkosh, Wis., over the weekend. He was riding as a passenger in the plane that the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are now investigating.
Devyn Reiley, a friend of Collie-Moreno, was the pilot of that plane.
Greenberg said Collie-Moreno was visiting Oshkosh for an annual airshow and that his stepson had been saving up to attend the event.
“It was his first time at Oshkosh,” Greenberg said. “Oshkosh really was a big deal, you know. He talked about it for the last few years.”
Collie-Moreno did not have his pilot’s license, but he worked closely with jets and planes. In his obituary, the family said Collie-Moreno graduated from Hallmark University Aeronautics Technician School in 2022 with Associate Degrees in Airframe and Powerplant and then was hired as an Air Force jet mechanic for Randolph Air Force Base in 2023. He also volunteered at the Commemorative Air Force. As a lover of history, traveling and aviation, Greenberg said Collie-Moreno’s dream was to fly.
“He knew everything about every aircraft you can mention,” Greenberg said. “These pilots and the Commemorative Air Force -- these really were Zachary’s heroes.”
Greenberg said Collie-Moreno’s family was very close-knit. He said they’ll always remember Collie-Moreno’s love and spirit.
“The best way to describe Zach is he was an old soul in a young body,” Greenberg said. “The most kind-hearted, the most sweetest, most loving kid you can imagine.”
The family is holding a memorial Saturday, Aug. 12, for friends and relatives to honor Collie-Moreno. According to his obituary, his friends at the Commemorative Air Force are also setting up a scholarship for Airframe and Powerplant students in his name.
