Gary "Andrew" Philen

First off I want to start by saying, “Thank you a million times over” to every single person who has called, messaged, donated, given time, money, food, encouragement, anything at all for my babies and I. You all will never truly know the depth of appreciation that resides in me and my babies and know that Andrew would have been and is so happy to have known so many great people who have come together to love on his family. As I write this through what seems like a fog, all I can do is hang on to the peace of knowing that the love of my life his surrounded by every blessing he ever desired in this life here on earth but is just just doing it now with his Heavenly Father. You will never meet a happier, more outgoing, hard working, selfless, passionate, funny, energetic, giving, sacrificing, loving so many people so much that it literally pained him to see someone unhappy person than Andrew Philen. He was, still is and will always be the love of my life and yes while some may be angry at this sudden passing, I can’t help but just be at peace (a little confusion) knowing that he really did live the 28 years of his life to the fullest and never took one moment or opportunity for granted. I told someone earlier today that Andrew lived his life this way..... he said if we constantly live our life looking through the rear view mirror and focus on what’s behind us that is past then we will miss the beautiful scenery ahead of us and may miss out on the blessings that come down the road we travel in this life. Boy did he harp on me so much about what was ahead and forget what was in the past. And we did just that. We never knew what was ahead, but we knew that hand in hand with God in us and with us, we were an unbreakable force. As we continue on this journey, I will always truly appreciate and cherish the time that God saw fit to let me have the privilege of being Andrews “sweet pea”. I will always be reminded of his passion and love because he instilled it so much into our children. I know that this is not goodbye for us, just a temporary “see you later”. Again, there aren’t enough thank you’s in this world that could be given, but just know Andrew would be so proud to see the outpouring of love that many had and have for him and his family.

Chas

Gary “Andrew” Philen born April 15th, 1989 passed away December 25, 2017 at the age of 28 years old. He was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi and adopted by Gary and Lisa Philen of Alabaster, AL where he grew up. He leaves behind a wife, Chasity Philen, 3 children; Brock, Lavon and Lakelyn and a child due in January, Lenyx. He is also survived by his father, Gary Anthony Philen, his mother, Lisa Grater Philen, and his grandparents, James and Wilma Philen, he is also survived by a host of other family and friends. The family will receive friends on Friday, December 29th from 6:30 to 9:00pm at Kingwood Assembly Church. A Celebration of Andrew’s life will be held on Saturday, December 30th at 1pm at the church with burial following at Southern Heritage Cemetery. In lieu of flowers the family request donations in Andrews’s memory to his to favorite charities, the Wounded Warrior Project, www.woundedwarriorproject.org or Kulture City Autism Awareness in conjunction with WODism for Autism, www.kulturecity.org