Andrew Cleland

Happy Birthday, birthday buddy!! Thank you for all the wonderful memories you’ve given our family. I hope you’re doing trivia and karaoke and paintball fights up there to celebrate. We’re thinking of ya buddy. -JBB

I found a few gems of Andrew in my photos from our Costa Rica missions trips. No surprise he was a magnet for little kids and always jumping in for anything fun.

The last Friday Andy was at MMCD, we had a fun conversation involving his hatred for Adam Levine (lead singer of maroon 5) and how if there was some sort of apocalypse, Andy would be happy about Adam's existence being extinguished. Just Adam Levine, no one else was on his **** list that day. I then asked if he would kill Hitler or Adam Levine if he were trapped in a room with them with only one bullet. He gladly explained how he would line them up perfectly for one bullet to go through two people. Andy's company was always enjoyed during helicopter work, as him and I were always the last people left to fuel up the helicopter for their return journey. He gave me very helpful pointers for interviewing for the supervisor position, which he had got last year, and just very good life advice in general. Andy was one of the only people at MMCD who shared my sense of humor and sarcasm and most of our conversations involved joking around but some serious topics ended up working their way in there. We had owning elderly cats in common, and the conversations always shifted to them at some point. The Rosemount office will never be the same without his positive personality and ability to make a fun time out of any dull task. My thoughts will always be with his close family and friends, and others who knew him.

Hiking in the mountains was real pleasure with Andrew and Sam. We saw a lot of the mid west together, memories I will always treasure.

I think the first time I properly met Andrew was when I went to see an adaptation of Beowulf at St Olaf. Andrew was there with his brother and father. We talked during the intermission about the play thus far. I seem to remember him in his uniform and we talked about Scouts as well.

Another memory is when we shared a science class. I remember looking at Andrew and then at myself in the mirror with our goggles on and thinking how goofy we looked. I knew that Andrew enjoyed science a lot and wanted a career related to it.

Many of my memories are from school. Working on his truck in Mr Woitalla’s class. Trying to find his tartan at the Festival of Nations. I didn’t have many classes with him but when I did he was always some one I could turn to.

I’m afraid I don’t know how to end reflections on Andrew as he still lives in my memories. I’m sorry for your loss.

our deepest condolences. Ben and I were at today’s celebration of his life and were so touched by all the love expressed to him. Of course it is not surprising, given how much love he gave to all of us.

I’ll recount my last encounter with him here, as it was very meaningful to me. It was at the Latino community’s thank you dinner that pastor Abe also mentioned today. He came up to Janet and me and we had a deep conversation about what he’d been doing to help the community over the last 2 months. We were so so impressed and touched by all the multiple ways that he was there for our neighbors. I remember feeling that he was pretty much a Superman in doing all that he was for us all, in addition to living his own life. That conversation left an indelible mark on me, without my knowing what was soon to be. And now it will be my last, very sweet memory of him. What a loss to all of us!

There are so many good memories of Andrew that it’s hard to pick a single one. I will never forget all of the good times working together at MMCD, playing dungeons and dragons, dancing at Dam Days, or just hanging out. We miss you so much, buddy