Missing Andrew, especially on your birthday

Next renovation steps

More "after photos"

Before and after photos of orphanage renovation

the mission team

hard work

crafts time

the children we served

I cannot believe you have left us three years while I am still scrolling down emails we have sent to each other.  I miss you Andrew. 

Hello Jenny, this is Randy and Shirley Ashley. We had group at our house in Oak Forest IL. We last visited when John was born or at the State Fair. You guys have always been a pleasant memory. We just ran across Andrew's obituary. We had no idea. We send our condolences and prayers for you and the children. Soo so sorry for your loss. I will always remember Andrew helping Angel with a project for science with an egg. He told her KISS, Keep I Simple Stupid. 😂 She won. My heart truly breaks for you. Yet, I remember your strong Christian walk and know He is with you. In much love, Shirley

Evgeniya, 

I just learned of Andrew’s passing. I am so sorry. Please know I am sending love and hugs your way. I remember fondly our time together at Cameron UMC.   Gwen Brim

I'm so sorry to hear about Andrew. My deepest condolences to his wife and children.

Andrew and I both had big cars in school.  You know the kind -- a sofa with wheels.  His was a Crown Victoria we called "MUZ" and mine a Cutlass Supreme.  Well, the great thing about driving a rubber treaded i-beam was we could more easily play bumper hockey with each other and certainly operate far more effectively against our friends with...less car to play with.  Anyhow, one night we were headed to a gathering and I decided to give ol' MUZ a tap in the rear bumper.  I'd done this 100 times by now, but this time was different -- I got stuck!  It was straight out of one of those corny movies.  My bumper stuck under his -- could not pull them apart for anything!  Naturally, our problem solving "skills" kicked in.  This resulted in Nathaniel being tossed up onto my car to begin jumping on my hood in hopes of lowering my car enough to free it from the clutches of MUZ; to no avail.   With Nate tuckered out from a bunch of jumping, we decided it was time for Andrew's brain to shine.  He didn't fail us.  Friends, I know Andrew was a staggeringly intelligent human -- but that started after he got away from my dumb ass.  His brilliant idea, since trying to lower my car didn't work, we should try lifting his car up!  I don't know if any of you have tried to lift the rear end of a Crown Victoria car from the late 70's --  let me assure you -- you're missing nothing.  I don't know what was dumber, the idea itself or the emphatic "yeah! That'll work!" as we sprung into action of lifting Gibraltar with our bare hands.  After a few failed attempts several combinations (Nate jumps on my car while we lift Andrew's, maybe if two of us jump on my car, etc.) the cars remained unchanged; other than a dent in Andrew's trunk lid from Nate trying to push the cars apart from the top.  I can't remember who finally rolled up to help us, but they clearly had the best brains at the time -- the tire jack was sure a good, efficient, and effective idea.  But, far less creative if I do say so myself...

Andrew and I sure had a lot of fun for a couple of band geeks. It only got better once we were able to add Nathaniel to the mix! One of my fondest memories from that time was Andrew suggesting we tryout to be the drum majors for our high school band. The tryout isn't really the story, but the few hours before the tryout...let's just say, I'm pretty sure enough caffeine and sugar was consumed to power a small country with our energy. Tryouts would begin around 8:30am, so there we were in Andrew's car "MUZ" flying down some typical backroads at 4:30am headed to the Cox Farm (Mrs. Cox was our band director) for reasons unknown. Andrew wanted to go, and I wanted to hang out with Andrew so -- there we were. The song "Hot Rod Lincoln" could be heard screaming through a radio we had seat belted into the backseat. We pulled into the farm to a few surprised faces. We knew in a few hours we'd be making "fools of ourselves" in front of our peers, so I guess we figured we'd get a head start via our elders. In the end, it created a laugh which of course is the best part. Neither of us would become a drum major, but that was sure a fun time. Andrew had such a weird hilarity to him that was infectious. I always appreciated that.

Mattress test - passing. An opportunity to share stories while the test slowly progressed.

Mattress test - failing. An opportunity for Andrew's technical expertise to shine. Andrew maintained the test system that made these tests possible.

Andrew was initially a reserved new employee who became a trusted professional colleague and an insightful and treasured friend.

Andrew had very strong technical skills in some niche areas within the lab, giving him the opportunity to work on a wide variety of projects in groups outside of the flammability lab where we worked together. Because he was loaned to other groups for his data acquisition and instrumentation expertise, he developed relationships with people outside our small group.

Inside our group, he was a trusted team player who infamously would not commit 100% to being available for a test on a specific day, but would always be the first one there on test day. “Are you available on Tuesday?” “Probably, but we’ll see.” It became a running joke, but he always came through and was a strong team player.

He was always up for a challenge and gave every task his best effort, even the ones outside of his core expertise. He tried to learn so he could have the best impact on the outcome, or if all else failed, he tried to find the right people around him to fill in the gaps.

Throughout this last week, I have heard many people share that Andrew was a good listener. He was, but it was more than that. He listened without judgment, but also challenged assumptions and dug deep with pointed questions to fully understand. And he shared his insights freely without reservation. He seemed to enjoy his role as sounding board and I always came away with better clarity. I hope he felt the same way in return.

This last week many have said Andrew was a family man who relished in his kids’ and wife’s accomplishments, both large and small. True. But beyond that, he was a champion for many of those around him. He made it a point to say “she is excellent” or “she is a great addition to the team” or “she really knows her stuff.” Many of our colleagues who work in our tight group are women and he advocated for many of us too. Andrew was a feminist (though I suspect he would scoff at that term).

This past week has also revealed that people outside of our work environment may not fully understand his work. I did have a conversation with Victoria at the Springfield Celebration of Life. She captured the flammability testing well. So, if all else fails, ask Victoria.

But for those who may not have the chance to ask: Our flammability regulations for mattresses require a complex instrumentation system to measure the heat released by the burning mattress. Andrew helped design our laboratory before we moved to our new facility in 2011 and kept it humming ever since. Our team spent hours together watching mattresses burn. When one passed, we had plenty of time to chat and share tales about our kids, hobbies, and travels while the test slowly progressed. When one failed, we each had a role, and Andrew ensured we had all the required data files so we could get the mattress off the market. (Photos attached.)

Another role we all enjoyed, was developing fire scenarios for press releases for consumer education. Andrew was the coordinator, stage manager, and director for this annual event and ensured we had planned every detail. (See videos: https://youtu.be/JWMiXSugdd4, https://youtu.be/AfPT_R2FR8A) We had talked about how the pandemic had put these events on hold and how eager he was to have another event.

I will miss the oddball memes he would send out of the blue. I will miss Andrew’s humor and honest, pointed counsel. And I will miss his steady presence. Rest in peace my friend. 

Andrew was a special friend for many of us in the California Bureau.  He was always so professional, kind, knowledgeable, and helpful. Until today, we still cannot believe that he has left. We will all dearly miss Andrew and extend our deepest condolences to his family, although no words may express the heartfelt sorrow. Andrew was such a special person and he will live on forever in our memories. 

Shenanigans on the farm - water balloon fun. Andrew always made effort to join in the extended family joys and events. SO thankful for him.

Daniel's wedding

Cousins

Mary's wedding

I am sorry to hear about this devastating news. I will keep Andrew's family in my thoughts during this difficult time.