Andy graduated from David Douglas High School in 1965 and joined the Army in 1966. After completing basic training and Jump School at Fort Campbell, KY he was sent from Fort Lewis, WA to join the 1st Brigade 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam on May 16, 1967. He returned home in May of 1968, married, and his daughter Amy was born in 1970. He graduated from Portland State University and then trained with Foster and Marshall, Inc. as a stock broker. He moved from there into financial planning and retired from New York Life in 2011.
Andy and Leslie married in 1982 and their son Drew was born in 1983. They moved from Tualatin, OR in the early 1990s and resided in Yakima, WA for 25 years before moving to Neskowin, OR in 2018. Andy was one of the founders of the Yakima Veterans Support Group, a board member of the Yakima Valley Veterans Coalition and a member of the Yakima Lions Club until his recent move back to Oregon.
Andy is survived by his wife, Leslie, daughter Amy Blanchard, son Drew, sister Nancy Gullings; granddaughters, Stella (13) and Lucy (11) Blanchard, niece Lisa Albrecht and honorary grandsons Nathan (17) and Josh (15) Rudnick.
In honor of Andy, a Memorial Service and Celebration of Life will be held August 15, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. at the Yakima Area Arboretum, 1401 Arboretum Dr., Yakima, WA 98901.