Super-fan and unofficial Washington Redskins mascot Chief Zee passed away on July 19th.. The 75 years old was a staple at every game. On Wednesday, his friends gathered to remember the man they knew, as both Chief Zee and as Zema Williams, a veteran who served the country. People gathered to remember his life

Ted Abela said, “he wasn’t just the guy who dressed up on game days, he was someone that I could call up if I was having a hard day. I was someone he could call up if he was having a hard time. I mean, he was family.”

Abela, or Tailgate Ted as he's known, said that the Chief was like a dad. They've seen practically every game together for the past 16 years. His favorite memory though, was a charity event to help homeless children in Loudoun County.

Ted said, “When Chief showed up, the smiles on those kids faces seeing him there,” . “It's something I'll never forget. He was doing this to pay respect,” he said. “It was never meant out of disrespect.”

Christie Lopez was a super fan and super close to the Chief. She said that this season would be tough. She said, “It's going to be hard, but Chief’s going to want us to go forward, and move forward and root for our team. Every year before the season, I got the phone call, ‘We’re going to the SuperBowl.’ So you know what Chief we're going to the Super Bowl this year.”

Lopez said,“Chief Zee always ended every conversation with ‘God Bless You.’ If he ever signed you an autograph, you got a ‘God Bless You. So we need to make sure especially with all the hatred in this world that we ‘God bless’ everyone.”

By Prakriti Neogi