Andrew was my brother in law but I didn't know it. At least, not for a long time. My sister Pat had told me they weren't going to get married and that was that. I was just happy that she had found someone that loved her.
I remember the Teddy Bear collection on the couch and the Beethoven bust near the front window on the house on Munro. Andrew was always sort of a mystery - but he knew his guitars. He gave me good advice on picking one out for my daughter.
After my sister's passing in 2015 I gave him all the pictures of her I could find and it was touching to hear that he had them with him during his last days.

My first memory of Andrew Pie was the first day I signed up for a kitchen shift. I was timid, looking around to get my bearings in the space. He noticed and came over to chat me up, which was a thinly veiled excuse to stand guard as the end-all-be-all resource for everything Bikesauce.  Within 30 minutes he had showed me where everything was in the kitchen, and had made sure I felt like part of the crew. 

Anybody in his presence always felt seen, validated and included.  Andrew was a fundamentally kind human being, a beautiful person. Thank you for yoir friendship.

I'll always remember my first impression of Andrew. We met when I was 6 weeks new to Canada, that was February 2016. I was struggling to make friends and hadn't much to do other than complete the design of a kids' museum guide and cycle around with on my bike (later I found out that it was a bottomless pit of repairs). It was a red Supercycle and it was the bike I'd take to Leslie Spit, his favourite place to watch the sun set.

Outside the bikeSauce shop front was a hand painted sign "fix your bike, we can help you". I strolled up the ramp and entered the space, bedazzled by the colorful boards of tools, selections of bikes in the sales rack and a handful of busy individuals I would later call community. He was my first "Welcome to bikeSauce". His tall figure, deep set eyes, gentle smile and silk neck scarf ticked into stylish outfit to mark him as probably the most unique of individuals I've ever had the pleasure of knowing.
Andrew introduced me to a place that was key to my social and personal development, creativity and much much more. I met him the second night after on what was called "Bike Build" on Wednesdays run by Christina and Yunner. I knew I could try again and come out of my shy self with the help of Andrew who would regale me with stories of his childhood - singing Irish ballads to his teary-eyed mother that hailed from County Down, Ireland. She'd slip him a dime for his talents.  I often wonder if back then, that was the moment that Andrew's charm and cheek was born. We bonded immediately over poetry, a love for music and the freedom that a bicycle could offer. He was truly the king of flat tire repair; your go-to-guy if you'd never changed a flat tire before or if you needed the gentle reminder, with zero judgment. 

Years later, we get tattoos to mark our July birthdays, chat over the phone, watch films together, read tarot cards, eat fried plantain and swap art. 

Thank you Andrew; thank you for all that given us and for being legendary.

My condolences to Family and friends.  I met Andrew a Bike sauce we not only spoke about bikes but also about music.  Great guy will be missed.

after injuring my ankle on a bike tour , andrew offered a trick from his marathon running days to help with the healing process. I continue to use it to this day when nursing an injury and it always offers a brief moment to think of him. He will be greatly missed.

The last time I saw Pie was summer of 2023. I was walking south on Jarvis near Richmond in the afternoon on my way to work and Pie was biking north.  He did turn his head and looked in my direction for a brief moment. It did seem like we were both in too much of a hurry to pause and catch up.

Andrew was so genuinely kind and caring. He made people feel comfortable, and was always willing to share a story to try and  get a chuckle out of people. I can clearly picture him walking into Bikesauce with his lanky frame, leather coat and cowboy boots. Thanks for all the smiles.

I remember Andrew's love of Bike Sauce and his "ease of being" whenever he was around there.  Everyone felt comfortable around him, including me.

Andrew came to bikeSauce for the first time in April 2010, as soon as we opened our doors in the beginning.  Soon after, he donated the first bicycle trailer for the shop, a wooden frame in the shape of a ladder. I also used to see him riding all over the East End. Andrew has always been with us, covering a lot of corners, often colorfully.  I have a fixed image of him in the basement, making a method in the madness down there, with Christina and later with Áine.  He suggested his own nickname of Pie for the desserts he brought to our dinners, to say nothing of all the turkeys.  

But these contributions as a volunteer don’t really cover the contribution that he really made.  He is (not was!) a key part of our character as a community.  Among several friends whom I brought to visit Sauce briefly, each one of them always clearly remembered Andrew.  It is true what they say about knowing how important something is when it is gone.  The thought of Sauce without Andrew strolling in with his cowboy boots supporting his tight frame - Sauce won’t get that back now.

AVIS DE DÉCÈS

Andrew Douglas Aitken

13 juillet 1951 – 6 mars 2025

Rosar-Morrison Funeral Home & Chapel

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