Andrea A. Sippel

Andrea will be remembered for her unmistakable laugh, one that softened the world without you even realizing it. She had a way of moving through life with quiet strength and humor, sometimes shaking her cane with playful authority, and threats of turning folks into popsicles, leaving warmth and laughter in her wake.

She was a woman of many contrasts: soft hands, a firm spirit and caring by nature. A world traveler with a curious heart, Andrea found joy in both faraway places and the smallest details of everyday life. She had a gift for discovering little gadgets and treasures that made life better or just more fun, small reflections of the way she cared for others.

Andrea’s presence shaped the lives around her in ways that words can hardly capture. It is not only her absence we grieve, but the parts of ourselves that only she could bring out—as a husband, a daughter, a son, and a lifelong friend. Those are the sides of us only she truly saw: the love, the courage, the softness, and the strength. She saw us in a way that made us better, standing firmly in our corner and encouraging us to grow into fuller versions of ourselves.

She carried a rare combination of independence and kindness: steady, unwavering, and deeply felt. Her love did not just exist; it reshaped those of us who knew her, and it continues to ripple through us.

We are reminded, “Grief came to us because love came first. We grieve because we love.” And so, our grief remains, because our love does too.

Andrea is missed in the quiet, in the everyday moments, in the instinct to pick up the phone and share news, in the echoes of her laughter, in the memories that arrive unannounced and leave us feeling overwhelmed with sorrow. She is missed not just once, but again and again, in all the spaces she once filled so effortlessly.

Yet within that sorrow lives gratitude for the love she gave, for the lives she touched, and for the lasting imprint she leaves behind.

She will be remembered. She will be missed. And she will always be loved.

In addition to her parents, she is survived by her husband, David Sippel; her son, Christopher Sippel; her daughter, Ashley Hughes (April); her sister Leslie Lembo (Dave); her nieces, Nicole Stevens (Sam), Kristen Lembo, Kayla Lembo; her great nephew, Jackson Stevens.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Lymphatic Education & Research Network in support of lymphedema research online at https://lymphaticnetwork.org/get-involved/donate.