Richard D. “Dick” Andrews, age 84, passed away in the comfort of his rural Charleston home among the woods he loved, on Wednesday, September 6, 2017. Visitation will be from noon – 2:00 p.m., Saturday, September 9, 2017 at Adams Funeral Chapel in Charleston. There will be no formal services. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, thoughtful donations in his honor be made to a charity of the donor’s preference. Gifts may be left at the visitation or may be mailed in care of Adams Funeral Chapel, 2330 Shawnee Dr., Charleston, IL 61920.

Born January 6, 1933 in Mitchell, Nebraska, he was the son of the late Harold J. and Lula Mae (Angle) Andrews. Upon graduation from high school, he taught in a one-room country school, and then attended his first semester at Kearney State Teachers College. Volunteering for service in the U.S. Army, he served two years. Returning to the states and to college, he married Lylia B. Almstrum in Oakdale, Nebraska on June 5, 1955. After completing his undergraduate degree, he earned a Master of Science degree at Iowa State University and a Doctorate at the University of Illinois.

Richard taught in the Life Science Department at Eastern Illinois University from 1966 until his retirement in 1993. It was then that his wanderlust for travel and talent with woodworking fully emerged.

Dick is survived by his wife Lylia; daughters, Kathleen (Richard) Andrews Wright (Springfield), Pamella (Mike) Andrews Waddell (Charleston) and Cynthia Andrews (St. Charles, MO); three siblings, Connie (Larry) Moralez (Texas), Carol (Jerry) Lytle (Nebraska) and Dan Andrews (Kansas); grandchildren, Margaret (Jeremy) Rother and Alexander Marley; step-grandchildren, Miranda (Kirk) Upton and Brandon (Amanda) Waddell; great-grandchildren, George and Vivien Rother; and step-great-grandchildren, Bailey, Mia and Jase Upton. He was preceded by a brother, James Andrews.

Grandson Alex summed up his grandfather with a Facebook posting raising money for lymphoma and leukemia research: “My grandfather was kind and compassionate, intelligent and understanding. He was charitable in life, delivering meals to the needy and building memory boxes for the Obstetrics Department at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center. You will be sorely missed, and your influence on my life will lead me in the days ahead.”
(Adams Funeral Chapel, Charleston Sep/2017)