Emily Rachel Gatzke

Emily Rachel Gatzke, 34, of Boscawen, NH, passed away in Boston on January 9, 2024 with loved ones near, after a courageous journey of over three years with a rare form of cancer. She lived a life full of adventure and prioritized caring for others both personally and professionally. 

Born in Washington, D.C., Emily was raised in Arlington, VA, before moving to New Hampshire after third grade. She attended the Center for Talented Youth program offered by Johns Hopkins University during summer breaks. She graduated from Bow High School in 2007 and went on to graduate from Brandeis University in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts in Health: Science, Society and Policy and Latin American and Latino Studies.

Emily later earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the Bouvé College of Health Sciences at Northeastern University. She worked for one year at Elliott Hospital in Manchester, NH, before pursuing her dream of working in pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital Primary Care Clinic. While at Boston Children’s, she became a PNCB-Certified Pediatric Nurse and was highly-respected and loved by her colleagues and young patients alike for her compassion and caring.

From a young age, Emily was interested in the Spanish language and Spanish-speaking cultures. She was among the first group of students to participate in a Spanish language immersion program in elementary school and, as an adult, she self-financed visits to countries including Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica and Spain where she attended an undergraduate study abroad program.

Her travels included many unique experiences. She took two trips to the Amazon rainforest where she played soccer with local children, went on an adventure in a Bolivian silver mine and paraglided from cliffs in Colombia. She used her language skills when she completed an internship in Cochabamba, Bolivia and later at Boston Children’s in communicating with Spanish-speaking parents and children about their medical needs and concerns. At Boston Children’s, she also conducted a training program for medical personnel on translating common medical terms and procedures in Spanish.

Emily met Michael Harmon in 2017 and the couple wed in 2020 during an intimate ceremony in the New Hampshire mountains. Together, they loved to travel, see live music and cook, with a particular affinity for exploring new-to-them cuisines. Most of all, though, they loved sharing their life together along with their beloved and quirky dog, Pigpen (Penny), who accompanied them on many adventures. At the time of her passing, Emily and Michael were near to completing a renovation and conversion of a historic building in Boscawen with a long connection to Michael’s family, which was to be their first home. 

Emily loved exploring the outdoors and hiking in the White Mountains in New Hampshire, the Green Mountains in Vermont or any place she might find a trail. She hiked nearly all 48 of New Hampshire’s 4,000 footers before her illness prevented her from completing the list. She loved growing anything she could on her various porches or balconies during her years living in Boston and was excited to have her own place in New Hampshire to cultivate a garden. Emily was an avid practitioner of yoga, a terrific baker and cook, lover of dogs and babies alike, trail runner, exercise enthusiast, forager, creative spirit, lover of walks on any beach, dancer and many other pursuits.

In 2020, Emily was diagnosed with a rare sarcoma (EHE), a cancer found in only one in a million people worldwide and one for which the various cancer centers and experts she consulted had no playbook. Over the past three years, Emily worked diligently to find potential courses of treatment and document her experience in order to inform future research all while managing her pain, continuing to work as a nurse and spending time with loved ones.

In addition to her husband, Emily leaves behind her parents, Matt Gatzke and Sandy Crystall; her sister, Sarah Gatzke and partner, Sebastian Angomas; aunts and uncles, Steven Gatzke, George and Melanie (Gatzke) Stitik, and Lisa Crystall. She was close with her husband’s family and leaves behind her mother-in-law, Kathleen (Carey) Harmon; siblings-in-law, Andrew and Hillary Harmon, and Erin and Riley Welch. She also leaves behind two nephews, Owen Welch and Maxwell Angomas; and many cousins. She was devoted to her countless personal and professional friends. In addition, she will be missed deeply by her dog, Penny.

A memorial service is planned for January 28 at 2 p.m. at The Barn at Bull Meadow in Concord, NH. All are welcome.

In lieu of flowers, Emily requested that donations be made to any of the following organizations: World Central Kitchen (wck.org), Austin Wildlife Rescue (austinwildliferescue.org) and the New England Wildlife Centers (newildlife.org).

Her family encourages all to visit fightehe.org to learn more about this challenging and unpredictable disease.