• Courtesy
• Ezra Pouech

Ezra Pouech passed away tragically on Thursday, December 21, 2023, while protecting his girlfriend and her children from the hands of a domestic abuser. We take solace in knowing that Ezra acted to protect those he cherished, showing himself to be the caring, kind person we loved. He never stopped striving and believing that we all have a responsibility to make this world better.

Ezra was born at home during a snowstorm on February 2, 1993, in Hinesburg, Vt. He grew up on the top of Blackberry Hill, an ideal place to play with his brother, Zach; his sister, Emma; and neighbors and friends. Ezra loved adventures in the woods, catching crayfish in the brook and, best of all, sledding down the long, twisting driveway at top speed. While Ezra experienced many local sports, including hockey, soccer, lacrosse and high school ultimate frisbee, his favorite sports involved racing downhill. He was an avid snowboarder, skateboarder and serious downhill sledder. He continued to love sledding as he grew older and was known to sled down Bolton Mountain and Camel’s Hump with his teenage friends.

For many years, Ezra’s summers included vacationing in Small Point, Maine, with his family. This annual adventure produced many childhood memories, including playing pinball, ice cream at the Hermit’s Island snack bar, boogie boarding at Popham Beach and special time with Sunset Sally.

Ezra was surrounded by his extended family throughout his childhood. Every holiday or other milestone event included loving family members. Although he only had a short time with his Grandma Desroches, her love and influence impacted Ezra his entire life. He especially enjoyed fun and chaos with his Groton, Vt., cousins.
Ezra’s head was always buried in books, which were supplied in unlimited quantities by his mom, who worked as a librarian and owned the local Brown Dog Bookstore. In elementary school, Ezra took up drumming and participated in school concerts. Not surprisingly, he transitioned to playing in a garage band with his Hinesburg friends and eventually took his love of drumming and adventure to California, where he continued playing with friends in local studios.

High school was not a great fit for Ezra. He enjoyed some classes but questioned others. Eventually, as graduation approached, Ezra decided to pursue a GED in lieu of continuing in typical classes. His mom and pa were a bit nervous about this approach, especially knowing that the test was extremely diverse and challenging. As it turned out, his childhood of voracious reading and curiosity paid off, and he passed the test, earned his high school diploma early and proudly marched with his Champlain Valley Union class of 2011.

Immediately following graduation, Ezra flew off to San Diego, Calif., to be with his first love, whom he met in Vermont. Ezra spent the next few years thoroughly enjoying southern California. Later he moved to the San Francisco Bay area, where he expanded his work experience in the marijuana dispensary industry. Ezra loved the music scene, skateboarding, photography and meeting new people who became his close friends. He considered San Fran his home.

Ezra is survived by his mother, Natacha Luizzi; his father, Phil Pouech; his stepmom, Lia Cravedi; his other dad, Joe Tomko; his big brother, Zach Pouech, and Ezra’s niece, Margaret; and his big sister, Emma, and her life partner, Tom Wilson. Ezra is also survived by his uncles Steve (Ellen) and Raymond (Leslie) Desroches and Steve (aka Tex) (Deb) Pouech; his aunt, Crystal Mengele; and his grandma Dora Wright. Ezra will be dearly missed by his Desroches cousins, Leah Marie, Joseph, Gedeon and Griffen; his Pouech cousins, Raya and Tanya; and his special second cousin, Tevon. He is predeceased by his uncle Norm Desroches and his grandparents Normand and Natacha Desroches and Robert and Claire Pouech.

Ezra recently quoted, “Grief is just love with nowhere to go. Go out and love some more. Love, love, love.”

Friends and family will be invited to a celebration to be scheduled at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the GoFundMe for Ezra’s girlfriend and children, who have been affected by this tragedy (gofundme.com/f/injured-pacifica-mother-her-children), or the Vermont Network Against Domestic Violence.