ANDREW OAKLEY DUBOIS

1924 - 2019

Andy passed away peacefully in his sleep in late February. He was born on the family ranch near El Centro, California, the third son of John Lamont and Isabelle Oakley DuBois. His youth was spent attending what began as a one-room schoolhouse taught by his mother, and helping his father and two older brothers, Bill and Jack, on the ranch. Andy's interests did not lie in agriculture or animal husbandry though, and in January 1943 he began his freshman year at U.C. Berkeley studying engineering. Uncle Sam came calling and interrupted his education two months later. In 1945, while in transit to Camp Roberts, Andy married his childhood sweetheart Aliton Marsh. In 1947 they moved to Richmond, California, where both attended Berkeley to finish their degrees. In 1950, Andy began work at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory on the Bevatron and Cyclotron particle accelerators. The couple started their family and by 1955 had welcomed Jennifer, Barbara and Amanda. In 1958 Andy got a one-year transfer to the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York to help repair their Cosmotron. Emily was born shortly after their return in 1959. In 1965, the couple divorced and Aliton returned to El Centro with the children. Andy remained in Berkeley. He reconnected with a college friend, Rosemary Brandes, and in 1966 they married and set up house in Palo Alto. Julie was born in 1967 to complete his treasure of daughters. In 1985 Andy became project manager for a mirror support system for the Keck telescope on Mona Kea, which required them to spend several years living on the island of Hawaii. He and Rosemary generously brought each daughter and her family out, one by one, for wonderful and fascinating visits to the island. Later Andy worked on the mirror support system for the second Keck telescope. With completion of the second telescope, Andy retired. Now he and Rosemary were free to enjoy their favorite pursuits, which included plenty of time in their beloved Sierras, as well as skiing, tennis and travel to exotic destinations such as Russia, Turkey and Zimbabwe. In 2008 Andy lost his soul mate when Rosemary succumbed to Alzheimer's. Andy never stopped growing and learning. He was an avid reader and volunteer, he continued taking classes of interest and attending lectures at the university. To his children he seemed to age backward, getting younger, more open minded, and even more fun as the years went by. He was a shining example to us all. Condolences from friends and coworkers mention again and again what a gentleman he was and always the consummate professional. He could mediate between warring departments and be thought of as a great guy by all. And, to quote a son-in-law, "he was the best man I ever knew."