Zack Denbrough

Zack Denbrough is the father of Bill and George Denbrough. He works for Bangor Hydroelectric and is among the men who remove sandbags after the 1957 flood, noting that a new dam upstream would end the threat of flooding. He is a tough but fair man before George's death; afterward, he becomes distant and preoccupied, going through the motions of fatherhood without genuine engagement. He builds a jungle-gym for his sons in the back yard, but after George's death, the house falls into a cold silence. He is present when Bill tries to tell a joke, but only responds absently, turning a page of his magazine. When he tries to box up George's toys for donation, Sharon Denbrough stops him with a furious outburst, and he returns the toys to their exact places, kneeling by George's bed and crying. He owns a PPK-Walther pistol, a war souvenir, which Bill later takes to confront the creature at 29 Neibolt Street. He tells Bill about the Derry sewer and drain systems, explaining that the main sewers are six feet in diameter, that the blueprints are mostly lost, and that people can get lost down there. He also mentions the pumping stations in the Barrens, which Ben calls "Morlock holes." He is a skilled woodworker with a workshop where Bill, Richie, and Ben later melt down a silver dollar to make slugs. He is present when Bill and his friends play Monopoly as a cover for their activities. He is a man who, after the death of his younger son, is unable to fully engage with his surviving child, leaving Bill to navigate his grief and the horrors of Derry largely alone.