Andrew James Loop

Andrew James Loop

October 17, 1972 - May 4, 2024

Andrew James Loop, 51, treasured son, brother, spouse and father died by suicide on May 4 at his home. Andrew was beloved by all who knew him.

Visitation will be from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, May 10, at Grand View Methodist Church, 3342 John Wesley Dr., Dubuque, and from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 11, at Grand View Methodist Church. Funeral Services will be at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 11, at Grand View Methodist Church, and will be live-streamed. Rev. Tom Shinkle will officiate. Arrangements are entrusted to Egelhof, Siegert & Casper Funeral Home.

Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Andrew was the fourth child of Bertrand H. and Shirley M. (Dennie) Loop. He married his queen, Brenda Taylor, on June 28, 1994, the third generation of Taylor's to be married on that day. They were blessed with a son, Skylar, in 1998.

After graduating from Monticello High School in 1992, he attended the University of Northern Iowa and in his first semester there, he met a lovely lass in the lunch line of Redeker Dining Center. Chaos ensued when he returned for second semester and she no longer worked at lunch time. Luckily, he found her again working the dinner shift. After a disastrous first date with one broken cup holder in his 1992 Chevy Cavalier and one case of food poisoning, he recounted later than he knew she was the one since she came to check on him between classes. He graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Business Management in 1996. He was a lifelong learner and returned to school and completed his MBA in 2003 through St Ambrose. After moving up and down Highway 20 several times Andy, Brenda and Skylar settled in Wisconsin in 2021. More recently, Andrew had completed more than half of his coursework to obtain a Doctorate in Business Administration and was looking forward to continuing to teach at the collegiate level in his retirement.

Andrew had many adopted dads throughout his life after losing his own father at a young age. One of those adopted dads, Ralphy Muller, inspired Andy's lifelong obsession with classic cars. Andrew completed restoration of his 1965 Mercury Comet while still in high school and worked off and on over the years as time and money allowed on his father-in-law's 1955 Chevy pickup and his mentor Ralphy's 1967 Chevy Camaro. One of his favorite things to do was do burnouts in areas the police didn't frequent.

Andrew and Skylar spent many years together through Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts all the way through Skylar's Eagle Scout with Gold Palm. This included trips to the National Jamboree, Okpick, and Philmont. Andy's favorite methods of cooking were with Dutch ovens and smokers. Andy and Skylar were also avid weightlifters.

Andrew will be remembered as a tireless worker and for his compassion for others. He spent lots of time working with his teams to develop potential and provide advancement opportunities for others. He gave away dozens of copies of StrengthFinders over the years to enable others to find their passions as he had. For 5 years, he mentored veterans returning to civilian work life for American Corporate Partners and also for five years, he was an adjunct professor in Project Management at UNI. He was the first adjunct professor to receive the Distinguished Professor Award in 2021.

Andrew is survived by his wife, Brenda, and son, Skylar as well his favorite mother-in-law Alice. He is also survived by sisters Nancy Walton of Anamosa, Rosie (Blake) Jones of Parkland, Florida, and Deanna (Stephen) Thomas of Marion and brother-in-law Bob Taylor of Knoxville and nieces and nephews, Brandon Walton, Courtney Lee, Ashley Kertels, Hunter and Tyler Volk and great-nieces Lydia, Peyton and Maya.

Andrew was preceded in death by his parents Bert and Shirley Loop, father-in-law Ron, and brother-in-law Mike Palmersheim.