Eldon Francis Andre

Eldon “Andy” Andre was born November 24, 1940 in the small farming community of Emmetsburg, Iowa, to Peter and Evelyn Andre and was their only child. He attended Presentation Academy School in Whittemore, Iowa, where he also served many years as an altar boy in the Catholic Church. He worked on the family farm and at the Whittemore Hatchery to help support his mother following his father’s death in 1953. He obtained a business degree from Creighton University in 1961. He married the love of his life, Suzanne Richardson, in Emmetsburg, Iowa, on August 18, 1962. They moved to Iowa City where he received his MBA from the University of Iowa. Upon graduation, he began work with Ford Motor Company and had a long successful career with them for 33 years. He and Suzanne had two daughters, Renee and Kathleen, who reside in Flower Mound and Philadelphia respectively. He and Suzanne lived in Arlington, Texas, until his passing on May 29, 2022 following complications from a stroke eight months earlier.

Those of us who were privileged to have had him in our lives would describe him as a kind, loving, and patient husband, father, friend, and neighbor. Anyone who came into his home was greeted with plenty of food, great stories and a feeling of warmth that carried with you long after you left. He exemplified the values of his Midwestern roots and was hard working and resilient even in challenging times; a devoted family man who was loved and respected by those who knew him.

At Ford, he was widely admired and known for mentoring his colleagues to achieve their full potential. He maintained a lifelong passion for cars and the automotive industry as a whole and watched it evolve from the Edsel to the electric.

His pastimes included traveling throughout the US, gardening, cooking and grilling. All of which, he shared and enjoyed with his wife, Suzanne. He volunteered for charities, such as the Red Cross and the Catholic church, throughout his life.

He is survived by his wife, Suzanne, his daughters, Kathleen and Renee (Tom), his grandchildren, Nicholas and Rachel (Teddy) and his great-grandson, Brooks.

We want to extend a special thank you to the staff at the Arbrook Plaza Nursing home for their loving care in his final months.

A funeral service for Eldon will be held Thursday, June 9, 2022 at 10:00 AM at St. Joseph Roman Catholic Parish, 1927 S.W. Green Oaks Blvd., Arlington, TX 76017. Following the funeral service will be a committal service at Moore Memorial Gardens, 1219 North Davis Drive, Arlington, TX 76012.

Gone, But Not Forgotten

Don’t think of him as gone away

His journey’s just begun.

Life holds so many facets

This earth is only one.

Just think of him as resting

From the sorrows and the tears

In a place of warmth and comfort

Where there are no days and years.

Think how he must be wishing

That we could know today

How nothing but our sadness

Can really pass away.

And think of him as living

In the hearts of those he touched

For nothing loved is ever lost

And he was loved so much.

Ellen Brenneman