William W. Andrews' Obituary
Please join the family in celebrating Bill’s life at 10 am, Wednesday, October 29, 2014 at Corpus Christi Church, 322 St. James Drive, Piedmont, CA 96611.
William “Bill” Wilson Andrews – scientist, father, husband, son, brother, movie and music buff, dog-walker, trash picker-upper – died on Oct. 3, 2014, in California. Please join the family in celebrating Bill’s life at 10 am, Wednesday, October 29, 2014 at Corpus Christi Church, 322 St. James Drive, Piedmont, CA 96611.
Bill was born on Aug. 29, 1955, in Rochelle, Illinois, to Robert LaFollette and Nancy Wilson Andrews. He was the third in what would become a family of four children.
His family moved from Illinois to Canada then Italy, and eventually, when Bill was in high school, to California. After graduating from Ygnacio Valley High in Concord, he did his undergraduate work at UC Berkeley and Fresno State University and earned his master’s and doctorate degrees in biochemistry from UC San Diego.
Bill met Theresa in 1981 while they were both waiting in line to buy tickets for “The Miser” at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego. They had both seen “The Tempest” that summer and had a lively conversation about the play. They had an immediate connection and thus began their 33 year relationship. They spent much of their time together going to small theaters to watch films and occasionally, Theresa could get Bill to go swimming in the ocean.
Bill and Theresa were married in 1986 and lived in San Diego until they relocated to upstate New York so that Theresa could attend graduate school. Bill did post-doctorate work and was one of the main caretakers of the Roycroft Inn in East Aurora. In 1990, they moved back West to San Francisco, where they both had positions waiting for them. Their son, August, was born in 1994 and he brought much joy into their lives.
Bill was a dedicated scientist and researcher, starting work for Chiron in 1990 and staying with the company as it changed hands to become Novartis and most recently, Grifols. He loved all the great people he had the privilege to work with over the past 14 years.
He was fast to laugh and had a wicked wit and love of word plays. He loved music, TV and movies, spending hours making CDs and DVDs to share with friends and loved ones. His knowledge of these art forms was deep and eclectic and he could recite – without a single Google search – entire scenes from a show or a movie director’s list of works. He and August became father-son experts at all things “Seinfeld” and could draw parallels to any life moment with the show. In a recent tribute to his dad, August recalled that “just last month, I imitated Kramer from ‘Seinfeld’ and easily turned his entire face pink as he laughed uncontrollably.”
In fact, Bill was an entertainer and a lover of pop culture early in life: At just 6 years old, “Bill-Bill” would jump up on beds and lip-synch to the Elvis’ hit “Hound Dog,” playing air guitar and swiveling his hips. This brought gales of laughter from his cousins and siblings, of course.
Bill wanted to live lightly on Earth. For decades he was obsessed with picking up trash anywhere he went, including Point Isabel Dog Park and the streets he walked near his home, work or travels. Random empty cans and bottles piled up in his car until they could be recycled.
He shared a love of animals with Theresa and August and they spent many wonderful family vacations on quests to spot whales, bears or other wildlife. Just recently, he started as a volunteer dog walker at City of Berkeley Animal Care Services, enjoying every furry friend he leashed up for a stroll.
Diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a young adult, Bill kept his mental illness controlled for decades, but recently fell into a deep depression. He was honest about his struggles and had many people trying to help. However, the pull of his illness proved too strong and he ended his life by suicide in early October.
All of his family and friends will miss his humor, laughter, intelligence, gentle nature and honesty, and his generosity toward those in need.
He was preceded in death by his father, Robert Andrews; his in-laws, George and Margie Meyer; and a nephew, Patrick Guffey.
He is survived by his wife, Theresa Andrews, and their son, August; his mother, Nancy Wilson Andrews; his brother Bob Andrews and his wife Pam Rhodes; his sister Mea Andrews and her husband Dave Guffey; his sister Susan Andrews Bigelow and her husband Brad Bigelow; his sister-in law Gail; his sisters- and brothers-in-law Tanya and Jim and Rob and Debbie; and his nieces and nephews Jason, John, Mike, Amity and Charity; Ross and Hayley Andrews; Ben, Sam and Alice Bigelow; and Matthew Guffey.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Doctors Without Borders, www.doctorswithoutborders.org, or the Nature Conservancy, www.nature.org.
We also would be honored – and Bill would be too – if, in his memory, you pick up trash along a favorite street, beach or neighborhood, volunteer to walk homeless dogs at your local shelter, or follow through on another small act of kindness in your community. These gestures make the world a better place, as Bill would want it to be.
What’s your fondest memory of William?
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Share a story where William's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with William you’ll never forget.
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