Surviving Andrew are: the love of his life Margaret Collins and her daughter, Audrey McMillan, 5; his parents, Sara and John Chiego of Memphis; his brothers, Christopher Chiego of Monterey, CA, and Peter Chiego of Washington D.C. Extended family include: his grandmother Shelley Wold of Little Rock, AR; his aunt Sheila McKinnis, of Little Rock; uncle Steven Wold, of Norman, OK; uncle Vincent Chiego of Phoenix, AZ; aunt Nancy Chiego, of Venice, FL; cousins Clark and Evan McKinnis of Little Rock; Michael Chiego of Phoenix, AZ; Jennifer White of Los Angeles, CA; Rebecca Chase, of Seattle, WA; and Ray Chase, of Los Angeles, CA. Margaret’s family includes: her mother Caroline Boatright Collins of Brevard, NC; father Scott Collins of Birmingham, AL; and brother Turner Collins, of Durham, NC.
Andrew was born on January 6th, 1991 and lived his entire life in Memphis. He attended White Station High School, graduating in 2009, and the University of Memphis where he completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering in 2013. Following graduation, he taught Honors Physics at White Station High School before joining Smith and Nephew, an international biomedical engineering company, rising to the position of Senior Validation Engineer.
Andrew’s passion throughout his life was music and giving selflessly of his time to anyone he could help. He was a natural musician, excelling early on as a saxophonist and later as a pianist. He had a gift for improvisation and would seamlessly weave his own magic into the music of others. When he served meals at soup kitchens, he spent more time sitting at tables talking to the men and women in need than serving food, knowing that the soul needed nourishment, as well as the body.
Andrew was brilliant as well as talented. He could solve a Rubik’s Cube in 30 seconds and his list of areas of expertise on LinkedIn was exhaustive and required a dictionary to understand. His group graduation project at the University of Memphis resulted in an easy to use rainproof wheelchair which was donated to a physically challenged student.
Andrew would light up a room when he entered, make everyone he spoke to feel like they were the most important person in the world, and he never asked anything in return for all that he gave. Andrew was generous, kind, thoughtful, and never spoke an ill word about anyone. He was a gentle soul in a hard world and he will be missed dearly by everyone who ever had the good fortune to know him.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at a later date. Please check the Memphis Funeral Home obituary web site at https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries for details when they become available.
In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made to the Levitt Shell for the naming of the Andrew Chiego Legacy Grove. The Grove consists of 33 trees nestled around the historic Levitt Shell and the legacy plaque will be placed by the largest tree, thought to be 100 years old, which has welcomed visitors for 84 years. Please make all donations at www.levittshell.com/donate and specify in memory of Andrew Chiego.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18