Shelter Island Reporter obituary: Kirstin Elizabeth Zabel

Kirstin Elizabeth Zabel died April 14, 2018.

Born December 4, 1986, Kirstin is remembered by her family as a fun loving, beautiful, talented and loyal friend and protector, a warrior princess to those she knew and loved.

She is remembered as an old soul, who carried around more than her share of the burden. She loved to sing and dance, play games, laugh and cook for her friends and family. She also enjoyed working, saving money, living in different places and traveling.

Kirstin lived in New York City, Los Angeles, California and Florida and travelled to Australia and Fiji. She had a great sense of adventure and went ziplining, bunjee jumping, sky diving and even lived in an airport terminal for a few days.

During the last decade of her life, Kirstin tried to get help for bipolar and borderline personality disorders. She developed a drug habit, which became a heroin addiction that took her life. She is survived by her mother, Claudia H. Hendricks; her grandfather Joseph G. Murphy; brothers Blaize Augustus and Elliott James Zabel; sister Saverina Dominique Chicka: godson Desmond Apollo and uncles, aunts, nieces and nephews.

Kirstin is being cremated and buried with her father, Donald F. Zabel on Shelter Island. Burial is at 12:30 p.m. May 12 at the Shelter Island Presbyterian Church with a reception following at the American Legion Post from 1 to 4 p.m.

Her family said: “Please make a difference. Be a snitch, save a life.”