My connection to Andre spans a lifetime and I feel so lucky to have benefitted from our friendship. As a child, I loved to go to the convenient store across the street from my childhood home in Airdrie. The owner Perry was always a welcoming delight, and my father spent a lot of time there talking sports with friends. I remember Andre as one of the kind, familiar faces my brother and I would see when we stopped in to get a treat.
Fast forward to my adult life, Andre was an instant friend when I started a new career with Alberta Beef Producers, where he worked as the IT consultant. Over the years, he’s shared with me his adventures of biking and hiking, always supported by beautiful photography he captured along the way. We’ve shared stories of relationships and loss, and always bonded over the dogs in our lives.
Whether it be long chats at the office and over dinner at banquet events, or running into each other at a theatre performance, Andre has always been someone I could count on for great conversation and insight. When I lost my brother, Andre offered rare words of comfort that only someone who has experienced such personal grief could begin to understand.
I will hold these moments close to my heart.
Katelyn.