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Obituaries » Andrew H. Kristen
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The family will hold a service at three o’clock on Friday, November 22 at First United Methodist Church at 212 S. Park Street in downtown Kalamazoo. Light refreshments will follow. Contributions in Andy’s memory may be made to The Zen Peacemakers, 190 Valley Vista Lane, Boulder CO 80302. Donations via PayPal: https://hive.zenpeacemakers.org/donations/general_fund. Please indicate that the donation is in memory of Andy Kristen for the NAT Scholarship Fund or you may give to the charity of your choice if you wish to honor Andy in that way.
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Hearts afire creates love desire
Take you high and higher to the world you belong
Hearts of fire create love desire
High and Higher to your place on the throne
(That’s the Way of the World – Earth, Wind & Fire, 1975)
Andrew Hovgard Kristen died unexpectedly on Friday, October 18. He was born on September 28, 1960. He is preceded in death by his father David and by his younger brother Brian.Born in Grand Rapids, Andy was raised in Kalamazoo’s Winchell neighborhood.
Andy (Egg, Egbert, Bert, Aquaman, Drew, etc) was renowned for his athletics, musical knowledge, poetry, cooking, fishing, foraging for mushrooms and also liked all of the many forms of “games of chance”. As the Loy Norrix High School homecoming king in 1977, Andy wore the blue and white proudly and was an All Conference and All State linebacker. Captain of the football team in his junior and senior years, he was also a baseball and track athlete for the Knights.
Beyond athletics, Andy was also a bridge from sports to the Norrix choir and theatre crowd. A product of the Kalamazoo Public School integrated school system, Andy found positive common ground and connected people to one another. He represented humility and kindness and consistently, and put others ahead of himself.
Andy had a deep connection to music, especially rhythm & blues. He understood funk and the mixtures of styles and genres of jazz, fusion, hip-hop and others. He used his passion and knowledge to share, inspire and educate through a wonderfully fun and entertaining trivia game that kept the sounds of our memories alive. This we will not forget.
He played on a football scholarship at Grand Valley State and earned his B.A. degree at Western Michigan University. Andy started his career in college admissions and transitioned to the medical surgical device industry, working for a few companies and owning his own business. Recently retired, he was in the process of moving to North Carolina with his partner, Anne.
Andy’s deep respect for people, strong friendships, the inclusion of all people, for all things outdoors and his enduring curiosity for his environment, and overwhelming kindness will be his legacy.
He is survived by his mother, Sandy Kristen; brother, Jeffrey Kristen; sons, Cameron Kristen and Roe Warner; niece and nephews Macy, Shae and Oz Kristen; partner Anne Lundquist; and a long list of dear friends.
