Andrea J Kristensen

Andrea J. Kristensen, our beloved, cultured mother, daughter, and sister passed away on February 12, 2026, after a courageous battle with cancer. She was born on February 16, 1965, in Salt Lake City, Utah to Alexander and Arvilla Jueschke. As a child, she enjoyed making mud pies, dressing up, and playing with dolls and flowers. At Crestview Elementary School, she worked hard to learn and compete in multiplication times tables contests and submitted projects to PTA Reflections Contests. She received the Hope of America Award for academic excellence, citizenship, and leadership.

Andrea enjoyed 4-H and completed many projects, including sewing, foods, gardening, crafts, and contests for which she won ribbons at the Salt Lake County and Utah State Fair. At Olympus High School, she excelled in academics and enjoyed Pep Club, Spanish Club, and Latin Club. She loved her teachers and classmates.

Her early job as a babysitter suited her well because she loved babies and children. Later in life, she enjoyed serving in the church nursery. She also worked as a floral designer at The Flower Patch where her skills, talents, creativity, and love of flowers continued. Throughout her life, she created beautiful floral arrangements for weddings, birthdays, graduations, funerals, and other special events.

In college, she loved learning and attending lectures, musical and theatrical performances, football games, and dancing as an International Folk Dancer in Christmas Around the World Performances. She especially treasured her Study Abroad experience in Greece and Italy. Andrea earned a BA in Humanities and MA in Art History from Brigham Young University.

Andrea worked as a teaching assistant in Humanities, graduate teaching assistant in Art History, Slide Library Assistant, and adjunct faculty at the BYU Salt Lake Center. As the Art History Slide Librarian for the College of Fine Arts, she completed a massive project transforming the extensive slide collection into a digital database. She also worked as the Visual Resource Curator and oversaw Graduate Studies and Internships for the College of Humanities and the Comparative Arts & Letters Department at BYU. Her colleagues and graduate students are treasured friends. She retired from BYU in 2024, after working there for more than 20 years.

She loved a variety of music: classical (favorites Dvorák and Vivaldi), Broadway musicals (favorites Bright Star and Sunday in the Park with George), country artists including Garry Morris and Kenny Rogers, and popular artists such as Paul Simon, James Bay, and One Republic. She also enjoyed NPR National Public Radio. Andrea had numerous hobbies and interests. She made beautiful scrapbooks and personalized photo calendars for her family. She collected fine linens and dishes and made beautiful table settings for special occasions. She collected folk dolls dressed in traditional costumes, folk art, elephant paraphernalia, Lego mini-figures, hearts, stars, flowers, and stickers. She loved reading newspapers and books, especially by Jane Austin, collecting alphabet books, holiday books, and decorations. Valentine’s Day was her favorite holiday. She gardened and cared for pumpkins, tomatoes, and flowers. She loved art and architecture especially Frank Stella, Frank Lloyd Wright, Cezanne, Greek Cycladic figures, and several others.

Andrea married Erik Kristensen and a few years later welcomed their beloved son Anders. Andrea and Erik later divorced. Andrea was a dedicated, devoted, and hardworking mother, daughter, and sister. She lovingly raised her son, Anders, encouraging and supporting him in his schooling, in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts to the Eagle Scout Rank. They enjoyed experiencing beauty, culture, and nature. She helped her family while sustaining a full-time professional career and commuting daily from Salt Lake City to Provo. We loved family outings to Red Butte Arboretum, Thanksgiving Point, Utah Symphony, Pioneer Theater Company, Art Museums, Natural History Museums, Shakespeare Festival, cultural events, and spending time together.

Andrea loved people, always inquired and cared about their lives, encouraged people in their personal endeavors, and gave special cards and personalized gifts for holidays, graduations, missions, marriages, births, and other special occasions. Andrea was passionate about learning and life. She promoted life-long learning, critical thinking, and open-mindedness, hoping people would realize that not everything is black or white and to acknowledge that complex and gray areas exist.

She worked and served others until her health deteriorated and prevented her from doing so. Andrea was a friend to all and gave from the heart. She enhanced everything she was involved with and enriched everyone.

We acknowledge and appreciate her brother Adrian for his tender loving help and devoted service throughout her medical treatments and home care.

She was preceded in death by her father Alexander Jueschke. Andrea is survived by her son Anders Kristensen, her mother Arvilla Jueschke, her brother Adrian Jueschke, her sister Alison Jueschke, and various aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Funeral services honoring Andrea will be at 12:00 P.M. on Saturday, February 28, 2026 at the Church Building on 1925 East 4101 South Gundersen Lane, Holladay, Utah, 84124.Viewings will be held at the church building on Friday, February 27, 2026 from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. and Saturday, February 28, 2026 from 11:00 to 11:45 A.M. Internment will be at the Memorial Holladay Cemetery 4900 South Memory Lane, Holladay, Utah 84117 at 2:30 P.M.

Please consider donations in Andrea’s honor to Pioneer Theater Company and KUER/NPR National Public Radio.