Ginger Lei Andersen

A true wonder of a woman, Ginger Lei Andersen continued her journey and departed our lives suddenly on January 20, 2022, at the far-too-early age of 58 after battling polycythemia vera, a rare blood disorder.

Ginger had the unique ability to make anyone in her presence feel like they were the most important person in her world. She had a rare balance of intellect and warmth, an infectious laugh and radiant smile. She also had an insatiable desire to learn, leading her to succeed in multiple careers. While Ginger had many titles, the most important one may have been as “unofficial advisor and confidante” to countless friends, family, and coworkers.

Named after the fragrant ginger flower used to make Hawaiian leis, Ginger Lei was born in Oahu, Hawaii on October 7, 1963. Her love of the islands always stayed with her. She returned often to enjoy hikes, the culture, long swims in the ocean and indulge in shaved ice. Her family left the islands when Ginger was in grade school and moved to Danville, California. She graduated from Monte Vista High School, but not before spending a memorable season as the back half of “Musty the Mustang,” the school mascot. At an early age Ginger began developing her talent as a singer and performer. She was involved in numerous musicals and choirs from high school through college and beyond, including leading roles in “Hello Dolly,” “Brigadoon,” “Music Man,” and “My Fair Lady.”

After high school Ginger graduated from Brigham Young University in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree and later completed a master’s in humanities. She married Jed Moffitt in 1984 and started their family: Miles, Seth, and Damen. Ginger loved her three boys and embraced her role as a loving mother to them. She taught English and humanities at BYU until the family moved to Sammamish, Washington, in 1999 where Ginger tutored and taught. After a short stint as a recruiter and HR generalist for The Gates Foundation, Ginger focused on her true passion: inspirational business leadership, focusing on organization performance and personnel development at Intellectual Ventures, where she worked for 9 years. She also earned a second master’s degree in organizational systems in 2015. Ginger and Jed divorced in 2012.

She began a romantic journey with Ronny Sullivan in 2017 and found true love and an amazing connection. A longtime resident of West Seattle, Ronny introduced her to the cozy community. She fell in love with the area and purchased her perfect home in the North Admiral neighborhood, moving in on Halloween night, 2019. She spent many hours enjoying Alki beach, embracing nature at Lincoln Park, wandering through the farmer’s market, connecting with her neighbors through a book group she started, and walking her dog Odin with daughter-in-law Maaya. During 2021 she began a new journey in her career, completing her certification as a Hakomi guide and therapist.

In May 2021, her son Seth and his wife Maaya moved into Ginger’s home, expecting to stay for three months. But they brought so much joy to Ginger and she to them, that the little family unit stayed together. When Ginger left Swedish First Hospital after a week-long stay, she returned home to the loving care of Seth, Maaya and Ronny who filled her final weeks with love and joy.

Ginger had a tremendous desire for adventure and loved to travel and experience other cultures. Throughout her life Ginger traveled the world. While COVID slowed her recent travel schedule, the last year of her life was filled with adventure, including golfing in Palm Springs, walking the beaches in Hawaii, rappelling in Zion National Park, and visiting the Washington Coast multiple times. Ginger and Ronny also hiked in Utah’s National Parks, visited the North Cascades, Palouse Falls, and made a special sojourn to Ronny’s hometowns.

One of the highlights of her life was spending a month in Spain in the fall of 2021 with her youngest son Damen and loving partner, Ronny. She also loved spending time with Miles at his home in Spokane and her home in West Seattle.

Ginger had the most amazing smile, eyes that sparkled, infectious warmth, and a presence you could feel when she walked into the room. She was deeply spiritual and intuitive but did not practice organized religion. Ginger loved to dance, competed in West Coast Swing, had a passion for tennis, was an avid gardener, loved hiking, and had recently caught the golf bug. The world was truly alive within her.

Ginger’s sudden passing came as a devastating shock to all those close to her. She is survived by her three adult sons, Miles Moffitt, Seth Moffitt (Maaya) and Damen Moffitt; her six older siblings, Kathi Kohler (Rich), Alan Andersen, Paula Tibbitts (Loel), Gail Newbold (Dave), Phil Andersen (Candace) and Dan Andersen (Kris); and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.

On January 20 in the hours before she passed, Ginger enjoyed the beauty of the Puget Sound, meditated, gave thanks for the joys in her life, and danced with Ronny, holding him close as they made plans for more adventures together. In memory of Ginger, take a moment to do the same.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.forestlawn-seattle.com for the Andersen family.