Andrew Ethridge had
the kind of story that makes you marvel at the human spirit. Raised as the younger
of two sons of a United Methodist Pastor, Andrew knew all too well the joys and
pitfalls of being a PK (Preacher’s Kid) but what he did with those joys and
pitfalls makes one stand in awe of him and his life.
I had the marvelous
privilege of serving with his father at Oak Grove United Methodist Church as
Minister of Administration and Missions. I remember fondly Andrew’s large
smile, devilish shenanigans and passion for entrepreneurial business ventures.
He loved games, sports, fishing, church and family. But what endeared me to him
was his love for my daughter, Stephanie.
We relocated to
Decatur, GA from serving in Alabama for sixteen years and uprooted Stephanie
during her high school years. This proved traumatic for her but like a Creech
she rose to the occasion but it was not without the help of Andrew.
It was his smile, his
ability to help integrate her into the youth ministry and joking around with
his “Creechie” that made the relocation become one of her fondest memories.
Because of Andrew she still has friends from this period of her life.
Andrew was an all-American
young man. He graduated from Brookwood High School. He was a member of the
marching band and participated in band competitions against Stephanie’s school,
Parkview, of which she was a member of the color guard. He loved to fish and
has caught more and bigger fish than I ever will. He was a golfer and avid fan
of the University of Georgia (Roll Tide!) and professional hockey. He sang in
youth choir and was an active member of the youth group.
Andrew was an
inspiration. Four years ago he was diagnosed with brain cancer. But he
continued on with life and married his high school sweetheart, Kristin, and
earned an Associate’s degree from Oxford College of Emory University. At the
time of his death on May 12 he was a BBA student at Emory University’s Goizueta
Business School.
As I think back on our years with Andrew, I remember his goal
was to become a millionaire before 30 and he was well on his way before he ever
graduated high school. I never saw such a young man with so much passion for
being an entrepreneur. He even made me want to buy things he had for sale! But
there were some times when his decisions went awry. I remember one time when
Andrew and his sidekick, Zac, went a little wayward…daddy Glenn decided to teach
them a lesson through hard labor by having them landscape the church flower
beds. It was a lesson well learned. I even felt sorry for them on that dreadful
hot summer day!
On Monday night when
I had received the call from Stephanie that he was fighting for his life I was
right in the middle of dealing with some of our children at Buckhorn Children
and Family Services who were wanting to end theirs.
I sat down with one
young lady and told her of Andrew’s story. The will, the determination, the
drive and the passion with which he fought. In Georgia was a young man fighting
for his life while in Kentucky one was wishing she could end hers. My heart
broke. It broke for Andrew and it broke for her. Oh how I wish she could have
met Andrew and heard his story from his own lips.
As ministers, we face
life and death every day. No one lives forever but some are just taken too
soon. Andrew lived an amazing life. Did he fulfill all of his dreams? No. But
he did leave a lot of memories behind. As for me and my family we are forever
grateful that our paths crossed his. We are blessed because of him.
When Andrew began this fight we hoped he would defeat cancer. Cancer took his physical life, but it did not quench his spirit...he beat cancer when he did not let cancer take away his Spirit. ---Dr. Glenn Ethridge, Andrew's father
