- Welcome to Daley Life Celebration Studio, where we Celebrate the Color of Life.
Andrew Roesler
Andy would appear, usually out of the blue. He’d spend some time with family; spend some time with friends. And for some period of time you’d get to enjoy the Andy show. It’s tough to describe but you’d laugh at his wit and smile at his running commentary. Just as quickly as he appeared he’d be gone: famous for Irish good-byes, most likely taking the Andy show off to some other Johnnies. Or, perhaps they were Bobbies. Andy was cool; wearing sunglasses indoors, dressed in black and not looking pretentious doing it. That kind of cool. And you would look cool just being around him. Andy had a powerful ear; he was a great listener. Friends, family and clients knew Andy heard, understood and cared. When people were hurting he knew when to listen, when to give advice and when to hug. The guy who never had a passport before the age of 50 traveled the world. Twenty countries in 17 years. No need for a GPS, because he was never really lost; just on another adventure. He’d stumble into some little European town make friends with a bartender and get set up in a bed and breakfast. Sometimes twice in the same week. And he was always trying to find some other way to get to places; major highways just weren’t his thing; he’d meander down some small roads exploring as he went. “Worrying doesn’t help“, he often counseled. And he lived it: nothing seemed to bother him. One exception may have been on the links.
Andy was a fixture in the South Jersey golf scene. He was calm on the course until he wasn’t: he shattered many a club, but made many a friend along the way. He started as a C.P.A with his dad many moons ago. Andy may have been great at crunching numbers but he was even better and talking clients off the ledge during their toughest times. Again, his listening brought comfort. He made a mean Cesar salad and great meatballs, Andy was a serious cook. He was a pretty good singer, a horrible dancer and never without some book he was into. But he may have been most at ease at the shore. He spent five summers on his boat before buying a home in Cape May. Of course he could always make a little time for Cruises to the Caribbean and Puerta Vallarta.
Andy met a girl named Donna at the Coastline. They had something in common: they disliked meeting people at the Coastline. It would be a life altering moment. They shared a 12 year marriage: a true love story, each other’s raison d’etre. She’d get him to segue from studying geography to actually seeing the world. From the moment they met, they were rarely apart. Andy is survived by his daughter, Valerie Darden (Jonathan), grandsons, Cole and Brexton, Donna’s sons, Martin Weisse and Andrew Weisse, his brother, Bruce (Rebecca Weir), sisters, Jane Roesler Nesbit (Richard) and Sally Roesler (Craig Sexton), and was loved by his many surviving nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews.
Come celebrate 66 great years, Thursday 1 p.m. at Broadway Theatre of Pitman, 43 S. Broadway, Pitman NJ. In lieu of flowers donation to benefit research into Neuromyelitis Optica at Guthy-Jackson Research Foundation Inc. (Guthyjacksonfoundation.org) will be appreciated.
10 Comments
Gonna miss you Johnny/Bobby. Thanks for being a great friend. Love you
Our deepest sympathy to the family and those who were closest to Andy. Andy impacted my life in a positive way when we first moved to Pitman in 1984. His passing in his mid-60’s is a sobering reminder of how fragile life is. Love and prayers, Dan and Katherine Cooper.
Awesome tribute to a awesome guy………Andy you will be missed………..Rest in Peace my friend.
I have known Andy since Kindergarten. We were always the first ones done our work and would often play Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders. We will all miss him terribly. Rest in peace Andy. We love you.
Andy looks as young as the last time I saw him almost 50 years ago! My best memories are from elementary school when we would go to the Lauck’s house for a party and Andy and the other guys would dress up in sports coats and ties! Or when he and Jeff Dargan came to my house and decided that munching on dog biscuits was a good idea! That’s the Andy I remember, lots of fun and a great guy. RIP friend.
Rest in Peace! I was glad to have known you.
I’m very sorry to hear Andy has passed. I hope he is in a better place. I played a lot of golf with Andy back at Woodbury CC. He was one of the coolest cats I ever met ! I have many great memories with him sauntering around the course looking like he didn’t have a care in the world even though we were playing for money. One of his greatest lines ever….we were playing with Peter and Chief and Andy just threw his driver over the fence of the cemetary. I gave him mine to hit, even though he was my opponent……………. Chief ,” You’re out of the hole” ……Andy, ” You’re out of your mind !!” (You had to be there) I tell that story every time I’m with Peter Slack and we still laugh about it! I had not seen Andy in years but I will never forget him for sure. The written tribute was probably the most accurate description of someone I’ve ever read. May time time and memories ease your pain, God Bless
beautiful celebration! had many adventures with andy. kindergarten, little league all stars, phs class of 71, basketball, golf, Avalon, ping pong, risk , and cards in franks office, paper hanging on touhy ave, pimlico, Belmont ,new years eve Washington ave, kids soccer and at my wedding. quite a few great memories.
donna, bruce jane sally becky rich craig I smile when I think of andy.
love you guys
chick
Donna, I’m glad we had the chance to speak with you at Andy’s memorial service (and it was a magnificent tribute to him).You said you were going to take some time away, following the memorial, and I hope you are doing just that. Andy was indeed your rock and his spirit will continue to be with you wherever you are just as was his preference in life. Know that you continue to be in our prayers as you go forward on life’s journey with Andy’s spirit to guide you along.
The tribute is quintessential Andy! There was never a dull moment in Andy’s presence and he always made you feel important – that you mattered. I worked for Andy for 5 years back in the 90’s but moreover I learned so much from him. I remember the day I told him I was giving my notice to pursue a career in education – I cried like a baby as I was worried he would be upset and in true Andy fashion – he said it was about time!! May his spirit live on through the family and friends he left behind !