Andrew Douglas Olafsen

Andrew Douglas Olafsen April 24, 1990-March 4, 2017 Beloved son of Kelley Martinez and Douglas Olafsen, passed away Saturday morning at his home in La Habra.  Andrew grew up in Orange County and attended Moffett Elementary, Sunset Lane elementary, Parks Junior High and Sunny Hills High School. Andrew was a quiet, thoughtful young man with a loving heart and a philosopher’s soul.  He loved music, especially Elliott Smith, Bright Eyes, The Devil Makes Three, Dinosaur Jr., Modest Mouse, and even Lil Wayne and Eminem. He was an avid Raiders fan, on Sundays you would see him in his Raiders gear, he even had some Raiders Solo Cups that he would drink from on game day.  It did not matter if the Raiders were having a good season or bad he was loyal to them.   Andrew loved his family and friends deeply.  He believed in people with his whole heart.  He was his sisters’ greatest protectors, defenders and fan, his mother’s pride and joy and his father’s hero. Andrew was and always will be his mother’s beautiful baby boy.  He was her daily carpool companion and she valued that.  Often times he would catch a quick nap on the way to work but she loved just knowing her was there, and hearing him say I love you, when she dropped him off. On the way home they shared their days events and checked in with each other. Even though these seem like simple events, they were the best part of her day.  She enjoyed his compassion for others and his unfailing humor.  She was always amazed at the profound and thoughtful statements that he made about life or current events.  He was her mirror. She saw her success or failure in his eyes.  He loved his mother more than she may ever know, it brought him great joy to see her happy and he found greater joy in her strength. He loved that she stood up for what she believed in, and was unwavering in her love for family. He considered himself lucky to have a Mother who believed in him even in moments he didn’t believe in himself. He spoke to his sister often about how lucky they were. Andrew and his sister Patti were very close and when they talked, their conversations were always meaningful. She opened up to him more than anyone else because he had the gift of never judging. Andrew was her rock, the person she knew would love her no matter what happened in this life. He made sure she knew what she meant to him and somehow just knowing that made her life better. He loved his little sister KJ and when no one was looking he would get down on the floor and play with her.  He worried about her and had recently spoken of his desire to spend more time with her now that she was getting older.  He wanted to be that positive male role model in her life.  KJ adored him and when he spoke to her, her face would light up. One of her first spoken words was “Andrew” Andrew was very close to his Grandma Pat and they had regular movie and lunch dates. He always looked forward to spending time with here and loved their deep discussions.    Andrew loved animals and and enjoyed the company of his constant furry companion, Zia. Andrew was a loyal and trusted long-time friend to Jose, Mark, and Malcolm.  He spent countless hours talking to Malcolm over Skype.  They would watch football games and UFC fights “together” or just discuss life.  He would walk through the house talking and many times we did not know if he was talking to us or to Malcom. Jose and Mark were a Friday night fixture in our house.  You could always count on one of them to be here to welcome the weekend with Andrew.  They would hang out having deep discussions or just joking around, it did not matter as long as they were together. They all looked up to him and could count on him to give them sage advice.  They spoke of how he thought deeply and gave meaningful responses when asked a question.   Andrew was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Bud and Debbie Olafsen and his maternal grandfather, Alex Martinez Sr. Andrew will forever be in the memory of those he left behind Mother: Kelley Anne Martinez Father:    Douglas Olafsen Sisters: Patricia Anne Cory and Kelley Jean “KJ” Martinez Grandmother: Patricia A Smith Step Mothers : Elizabeth Juarez and Jennifer Martinez Aunts: Amy Martinez and Kimberly Olafsen Uncles: Eric Martinez, Alex Martinez, Anthony Martinez, Scott Olafsen and Jeffrey Olafsen He also left behind many, many cousins. As he leaves the embrace of his family, to fall into the arms of God, he takes pieces of all of our hearts with him.