Andy Marion Rustemeyer

January 14, 1935 - July 12, 2018

Andy M. Rustemeyer passed away peacefully at his home near Sprague WA, on July 12, 2018. The youngest of six children, Andy was born on January 14, 1935 in Asotin, WA to Peter and Ora Rustemeyer. In 1939 the family moved to the small lumber mill town in Old Lincoln, WA. After the construction of Grand Coulee Dam, the family moved to the new Lincoln mill site which was relocated eleven miles north of Creston, WA.

Andy graduated from Creston High School in 1953. Following high school, Andy moved to Chicago, IL where he attended electronics school. Within one year, Andy was drafted into the Army and was accepted into the Army Security’s Electronics program and eventually trained in Classified Communication. He spent the next three years stationed in Germany during the occupation of Germany following WWII. Upon his discharge from the Army in 1957, he attended Gonzaga University. In 1957 Andy married his wife Edith (Rosman.) He and Edith were classmates at Creston school through elementary and high school and both graduated together. Andy graduated with honors from Gonzaga in 1961 with a double major in Education and Philosophy and a minor in Math. Following graduation, he taught at Glover Junior High in Spokane, WA.

In 1962 Andy and Edith returned to the Creston area and began farming and ranching. In 1966 they purchased a wheat and cattle ranch south of Creston, which proved to be one of his greatest joys and where they raised their three children. They relocated the farming operation to the Sprague area in 1992 where he and his wife resided until his death.

Andy’s love for his family, his faith, and service to his community and country gave him tremendous joy. He was an avid reader, writer, and musician. For many years, Andy’s family was blessed to enjoy the lively and beautiful music he would play either on the piano or his guitar.

Throughout Andy’s life, he served on many local, county, state boards and committees. Andy founded the Lincoln County Tax Board. He also served on the East Banks Development Association, the Upper Columbia River County Board, the Washington State energy Facility Site Evaluation Council, the steering committee of the Lake Roosevelt Forum, the Eastern Regional Board of the Job Training Partnership Act representing eight counties, and served with the Lake Roosevelt Coordinating Committee of the Multi party Agreement between the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Colville Confederate Tribes, Spokane Tribe of Indians, Bureau of Reclamation, the National Park Service and the Upper Columbia Counties. Andy served two terms as Lincoln County Commissioner and served on the County Road Administration Board. Additionally, Andy is a past President of the Washington Wheat Growers Association, a member of the Washington Farm Bureau and Washington Cattlemen’s Association.

He is survived by his wife Edith Rustemeyer of almost 61 years, and three children; son Bill Rustemeyer and his wife Kay; daughter Beth (Rustemeyer) and her husband Mike Finch; son John Rustemeyer and his wife Annette; six grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; two sisters Ardel Morgan and Jo Robertson; and numerous nieces and nephews. Preceding Andy in death were his parents, two brothers and one sister. A beautiful private inurnment was held on July 19th at the Washington State Veteran’s Cemetery.

A “Celebration of Life” Service will be held on September 22 at 2pm at Strate’s Funeral Home in Davenport, WA followed by a reception at the Davenport Memorial Hall.

Memorials can be made to Lincoln County Historical Society Scholarship, P.O. Box 585, Davenport, WA 99122, Big Bend Historical Society, P.O. Box 523, Wilbur, WA 99185, or Department of Veterans Affairs Volunteer Services, Veterans Medical Center Mann-Grandstaff, 4815 N. Assembly Spokane, WA 99205.