Ralph "Andy" Andrews

Ralph “Andy” Andrews, 95, of Merritt Island passed away peacefully on September 18, 2020. He is preceded in death by his loving wife Lucille “Penny”. He is survived by his daughter Amy (Rich); his 2 grandchildren Julia (Scott); Rick (Monique); his great-granddaughters Zoe, Emily, Kaylee and Aurora; his nieces Maxine and Tonia (Larry).

Ralph was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on October 27, 1924. He enlisted in the Army Air Core in 1942 when he was 18. He became a WWII fighter pilot and flew the P-51 Mustang in the pacific theatre. Several years later he went to Oklahoma State University and graduated with a degree in Industrial Engineering. In 1953 he married the love of his life Lucille Pennington. After retiring from the Air Force in 1964, Ralph and his family moved to Merritt Island where he worked for NASA as a Quality Engineer for 20 years. He also received his master’s degree from F.I.T. in Contract and Procurement Management.

During his retirement years Ralph enjoyed investing in the stock market. He followed the space shuttle program and liked to read about astronomy and space exploration. Ralph loved warm weather, Jack Daniels, black coffee, and looking out over Sykes Creek waiting for the dolphins to swim by. His greatest joy was enjoying his beloved great-granddaughters.

His most favorite saying was “Ready to Excel” And he did!

In lieu of flowers, donations to Vitas Hospice would be greatly appreciated.

Friends and family will be received at Brevard Memorial Funeral Home, 5475 North US Highway 1, Cocoa, FL. on Saturday, August 26, 2020 at 10:30 am. A Funeral Service will be held at Brevard Memorial Funeral Home, 5475 North US Highway 1, Cocoa, FL on Saturday, August 26, 2020 at 11:00 am. Graveside to follow at Brevard Memorial Park, 320 Spring Street, Cocoa, FL.