Thomas Peter Andrews

Thomas Peter Andrews was born on August 31, 1956 in Newark, New Jersey. One of seven siblings (including a twin sister!), Tom would spend his formative years giving his parents, Jack and Doris, reasons to pray. Tom's first encounter with poor decisions that would lead to hospitalization was a poorly constructed pea shooter he devised at 9 years old. In a twist that would make Darwin laugh, instead of blowing the pea at his sibling (the intended target), Tom inhaled the pea, which lodged in his lung and led to an pneumonia, partial lung lobectomy, and a lengthy hospitalization. Per Tom, his case ended up in medical textbooks and he was quite proud of the accomplishment.

Upon graduating high school, Tom did not go to "Budweiser Tech" (as he often later proclaimed) but instead enlisted in the Air Force. As would eventually become his hallmark, Tom was not interested in any of the physical activity boot camp required but was rather intently focused on the mess hall offerings (he wrote many lengthy letters to his Mother about the food at boot camp being surprisingly good). Unfortunately, Tom's knees agreed that physical activity was the worst and after 9 months in boot camp and 2 knee surgeries, Tom was honorably discharged.

After the Air Force came Tom's self-described Lost Years. Based on pictures and Tom's purposely vague stories, we are pretty sure Tom engaged in a lot of (aptly named) tomfoolery. There was Budweiser (so much Budweiser), camping, failed smuggling trips out of Canada, probation, swimming in the Passaic River to retrieve "misplaced" TVs and air conditioners, and an overall desire to engage in a series of delinquent, yet joyous, activities. Tom became really good at billiards during these years, and would spend the rest of his life responding to the question of "how did you get so good at pool?" with "I had a lot of lost years."

Tom started working at R.R. Donnelly in 1981, where Tom would spend the rest of his career until his retirement in 2009. In January, 1986, Tom met Melissa Heenan and would spend the next 6 months dating her and quickly begging her to marry him. Tom was rejected 3 times before he found an unlikely ally in Melissa's one-year-old daughter, Kendra. After spending July 4th on the Asbury Boardwalk, Kendra called Tom "Daddy" and Tom capitalized on the moment by again asking Melissa to marry him. This time, Melissa said yes and the two were married on October 4, 1986. Tom legally adopted Kendra in 1988 and forever became her Daddy.

After the wedding, Tom left his Lost Years behind and became a family man, albeit one with a bit of a rogue streak. Tom's idea of a kid-friendly outing was taking the girls (Tyler would join the family on July 31, 1992) to the Belleville Political and Social Club, where he and all his best Italian buddies taught the girls how to play pool, eat sandwiches, and talk for hours at a bar. It should be noted that despite his accent and favorite sayings, Tom was NOT Italian but spent so much of his life surrounded by Italians that he pretty much fooled everyone into forgetting that he was actually German/Irish.

A far cry from his lost youth, Tom relished the joys of family and fatherhood. When he wasn't working, Tom cooked meals for his family (a passion he would pursue for life), prevented anyone from doing laundry as he insisted he did it best, and made disgusting Dad jokes that made his daughters want to remove their own ear drums. Tom sent both his daughters to college, one to law school, and showed up to every graduation ceremony demanding compensation for his efforts (we think he was kidding).

After a lifetime of working, Tom retired in 2009 and surprised everyone with newfound joie de vivre. It turns out, Tom really hated working and became his happiest self when freed from some of the restraints of capitalism. Tom pursued a myriad of passions in retirement, including even more cooking, discovering the joy of dog fatherhood as Dad to Daisy Marie, adopting local neighborhood kids (including the much loved Gabe), and figuring out new and fun ways to, in his words, "F the government." Tom was a passionate collector of Social Security after two car accidents left him thankful to be alive but with severe back and mobility problems.

As sometimes happens, relationships end - Tom and Melissa parted ways in 2011. Tom started the next chapter in his life when the lifelong Jersey boy joined his daughters in San Diego in 2019. Tom was a natural at California living as California offered Tom everything he loved - the great outdoors, good weather, and a bevy of local produce. Tom embraced the San Diego lifestyle, spending his free time cooking with farmers market finds, building his own garden, soaking up the sunshine, and taking care of his many canine grandchildren. He also singlehandedly kept the local corner store in business through his prodigious lottery ticket purchases.

Unfortunately, all stories come to an end and the moment that Tom joked about endlessly eventually arrived, as Tom passed away suddenly on December 23, 2022. Left behind to sort through all that Tom hoarded, including a coin collection that he insisted would be worth a couple thousand (it's not), are Tom's two daughters Kendra and Tyler who, despite being stuck with a massive pile of crap and unplayed lottery tickets, miss their father dearly. Tom also leaves behind the mother of his children, Melissa; a son-in-law, Sam; three siblings - Robert, Kathy, and Danny and their spouses Sharon, Rich, and Donna (respectively); a sister-in-law, Mary; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. Tom's departure has also left many dogs without a grandpa, notably little Lt. Dan, who spent every waking minute with Tom and is still keeping Tom's bed warm on the off chance he ever decides to come back from the dead. Tom was pre-deceased by his parents Jack and Doris, his two brothers John & Stephen, and his sister Diane.

Tom's family will be hosting a Celebration of Life for Tom at The Point in San Diego on January 29, 2023 from 1-5 PM. Friends and family are welcome and encouraged to wear their best flannel, Costco-bought jeans, and work boots that they never plan to actually do any work in. In lieu of flowers or donations, the family has a simple request - if you smoke, stop. If you don't smoke, but you have a loved one who does, help them stop. Smoking ended Tom's life prematurely at 66 and Tom's family would like nothing more than to help others avoid the heartbreak of stolen time from a life gone too soon. Lastly, if you know a lawyer who wants to take Big Tobacco to task or help Tom f the government (who did nothing to stop Big Tobacco during Tom's formative years, despite awareness that smoking killed people) one last time, Tom's family is all ears.