Andrea Susan Absey

October 17, 1969 – April 11, 2023

Andrea was born in Fargo, ND on October 17th, 1969. Daughter to Ken and Lorna (Danielson) Crowell. Andrea attended Moorhead High School and graduated from Moorhead State University in Minnesota. She received her master’s degree from St Mary’s University. She was an elementary school teacher in Arizona, California and Minnesota. She married John Absey on June 27th, 2003 in La Jolla, CA. They made their home in Cottage Grove, Minnesota and welcomed their twins Luke & Ellie into the world on Feb 7th, 2006.

To Andrea, the little things were the big things in her life: her family, her faith, fellowship and friends. Her son, Luke, and daughter, Ellie, were the light of her life. It was her mission to make others laugh, feel loved, connected, safe, and inspired. Nowhere was that more apparent than in her teaching career. Most recently as a fourth grader teacher at Middleton Elementary, her students over the decades, along with their parents and other teachers were like her extended family. Andrea truly mattered in the lives of others and showed love to so many kids she taught over the years. Her laughter was contagious and she was witty, smart and kind-hearted with her students.

Andrea loved painting and activities like cooking, golf, zumba, pilates, and dancing (her signature dance move was that she could do the splits on the dancefloor like an olympic gymnast and people would burst into applause!)

She always had a positive attitude. When she was diagnosed with colon cancer that spread to her liver in 2021, she made a pledge to find joy despite fear and pain. She even painted bookmarks and titled this chapter of her life, her “Journey with Joy.” She was devoted to finding joy in the little things and she invited everyone she knew to share their small joys in life with her, so even though she was limited in what she was able to do, she could still celebrate the joys of others.

She is survived by her husband and their two children, her parents Ken & Lorna Crowell of Moorhead, MN, sister Laura Tweten of Ulen, MN, Father in law Jim Absey of St Paul, Sister in law Julie (Fran) LaMotte, Brother in law Joe Absey. Andrea was preceded in death by an infant sister, Sarah and her mother in law Barb Absey.

Visitation will be from 1-3pm followed by the funeral at 3:00 on Saturday, April 22nd, 2023 at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Woodbury, MN. The service will also be live-streamed at the Resurrection Church website.