Andy Baker

Senior skip day, 1999. A ton of people were over at a mutual friend’s house who had a swimming pool. Now I can’t remember the beverages at the time but I can assume there were some adult in nature. Andy got it in his head to jump from the second story of the residence into the backyard pool. Now he was making a show of it and we were all looking forward to the tsunami that was going to come. As we were all cheering him on, Andy got a jump off the balcony and down toward the pool. I don’t remember if he hit the pool deck or the shallow end but not of all Andy made it. Andy hollered about his foot and leg. It was slightly terrifying because he was sure it was broken. Due to the nature of the day I was in no shape to drive him so another friend drove Andy to the hospital in my car. He was cracking jokes the whole time with a cracked leg. Andy was fearless and a friend to all who had the privilege to meet him. Over the years I would see him around and it was always just so easy picking things up where they left off. I’m so sorry to the whole family. He was truly one of a kind. I’m so grateful to have been able to call him a friend. Rest easy big guy!

Andy was the pastor at our wedding, my husband's cousin's husband. If only met him a couple times before our wedding, but he was funny every time. He did a great job marrying us. But if I remember correctly, there was a slight emergency because he had accidentally packed Heather's pants instead of his own. He is clearly wearing pants in the wedding pictures, so it must have worked out!!!!

I’ve known Andy for more than half my life, and he helped carry my family through some very hard times. One of my favorite memories is when Andy had to call and tell Brian and I that he could not in fact marry us because we happened to have our wedding on the same day he was booked to be in Vegas at a gun show. So instead of having another pastor that Andy recommended us use we just told him to make it official at the rehearsal and Heather could just fake it at the real wedding. Andy got so happy and practically shouted “I’ve always wanted to do that! It’s pretty much the real deal anyways!” So that’s how we got legally married at our rehearsal without telling anyone until it happened. Andy will be so deeply missed and the world is a little bit dimmer without him in it. He changed so many lives and will never be forgotten.

We were so blessed to have Andy marry us! Cole somehow convinced Andy to introduce us as Mr. & Mrs. C-Dawg as our first introduction walking back down the aisle. We had such a fun day, and Andy was the life of the party!! Before the wedding we did pre-marital counseling with Andy and Heather, and I’ll never forget Andy starting it with “I only marry couples I really think have what it takes to make it.” no pressure… right? Andy also told us, if you ever want to call it quits, call me first. We can talk, we can figure it out, don’t ever just quit. Real marriages take work, and quitting isn’t an option.

One of my favorite memories of Andy happened on a middle school trip. We had taken a group of middle school students on a trip where we spent time teaching them about serving others, loving people well, and putting others before themselves. It was a great trip, filled with opportunities to learn, grow, and make memories. But every good middle school trip needs a little fun, too! So, on our fun day, we headed to Bullwinkle's Family Fun Center in Wilsonville, Oregon. Somewhere between the games, laughter, and all the excitement, a middle school boy decided he had a challenge for Andy: a pizza-eating contest! Now, if you knew Andy, you knew he was always up for a little fun, especially if it involved making people laugh. Apparently, this was no exception. The contest began, and at some point, the young challenger made his way over to Andy, who was right in the middle of eating a slice of pizza. "Andy, how many slices have you eaten?" Without missing a beat, and with a mouthful of pizza, Andy confidently replied, "I've eaten three slices!" The middle schooler looked at him, did a quick mental calculation, and immediately announced, "I've got to catch up!" And off he went! A little while later, the boy returned to check on his competition. "Andy, how many have you eaten now?" Andy, still playing the game, casually answered, "Six!" The boy's eyes probably got a little bigger as he realized he had some serious catching up to do. What the poor kid didn't know was that Andy had only eaten THREE slices of pizza! That's right. Andy was completely making up the numbers, all while keeping a straight face and letting this young man believe he was competing against a pizza-eating champion. The contest continued, with the middle schooler giving it his best effort and Andy enjoying every minute of the entertainment. Eventually, they decided to call it a draw. A DRAW! I don't know who actually won that pizza contest, but I have a pretty good idea who won the award for best entertainment! That was Andy. He had a gift for making ordinary moments extraordinary. He didn't need a microphone, a stage, or a carefully planned activity to make an impression. Sometimes all it took was a few slices of pizza, a middle schooler who took the competition seriously, and Andy's quick wit. But as funny as that memory is, it also reminds me of something much bigger about Andy. He had a magnetic personality. People were naturally drawn to him. Kids loved him, adults loved him, and wherever he went, he seemed to bring people together. He had a way of making everyone feel included, noticed, and glad they were there. We went on that trip to teach middle schoolers how to serve others, but Andy taught us something, too. He showed us that serving others isn't always about the big things. Sometimes it's about being present, sharing a laugh, getting down on a kid's level, and making a memory that will last a lifetime. I imagine that middle school boy probably still remembers that pizza contest. And I know those of us who were there will never forget it. We miss Andy's laughter, his humor, his energy, and the way he could light up a room simply by being himself. Andy didn't just fill a room when he walked into it. He filled people's hearts. And even though we may never know how many slices of pizza he actually ate, we know one thing for sure: he left all of us wanting just one more moment with him.

Back in the early 2000’s, my husband Mike Kirk taught Casey Garcia and Andy how to bass fish out on Moses Lake. They went out probably every week during the summer until Casey moved away to South Dakota. They were a crazy group of guys who are now all together again.

Andy and I worked together at K-Mart in -1999-2000. I always wondered how on Earth he wasn’t fired from the continuous shenanigans. I soon realized his Mom was one of the managers who was constantly scolding him about his attitude/ comments/ jokes, you name it. 10 minutes before store closing an announcing message by one of the employees would be heard across the store giving the countdown to closing. It was something out of a comedy, Andy in a clear Cartman from South Park voice, before the closing announcer could make the 10 minutes before closing announcement, “so, ya, 10 minute before closing, get yourself dressed from trying on clothes, finish up your evening poop, etc. The announcement grew more and more off color while the store managers searched the building to find which phone he was using. When he saw a manager coming he’d hang up the phone and run out the front door. He was actually able to do this more than once before the hammer came down. I sat at a table with Andy in Chemistry class. He absolutely hated our teacher, Ms. Beach. He did everything to interrupt, correct, repeat, parrot back, just to catch her off guard. When that didn’t work, he called her “Ms. Bitch” with just enough of an accent as not to draw too much attention to what he was really saying.

Andy was my Middle School Youth Pastor. Andy and Heather were always there for everyone and anyone. I enjoyed going on all of the trips that were offered to us. Urban Plunge, Youth Quake and Quest. I remember all the wacky games we always played on Wednesday night Youth Group. Heather I want you to know that both you and Andy had a great influence on my life and I am forever grateful to have both of you in my life.

Big Playoff game against Prosser. We win & Andy does the Truffle Shuffle on the 50 yard line facing all of the Prosser team & fans. Was hilarious. He also did that after a few other football games win. Just may not have been on the 50. Lolol

It was so fun working with Andy. He was the middle school pastor and I was the high school pastor. We did a lot of memorable things together, including videos. My favorite one was set to the Queen song “You’re My Best Friend.” We went to Barbara Ann’s Diner and drank one milkshake with two straws. We were laughing so hard as we stared into each other’s eyes from inches away as we slurped down milkshake. We went to the park and rolled down the hill together then we skipped down the beach arm in arm. It was so much fun and our students loved it. The last time we talked on the phone I said he HAD to find that video. I’ll miss my friend, but I’m so glad I know I’ll see him again.

The Diet Coke and Mentos rage had just begun. It was fairly early in the youtube days. I had only published one video at that point. Andy was in town and we decided to make some videos. We did the Diet Cok and Mentos and I was floored that it actually worked. Then we decided to tray other sodas to see how well those worked. None were as good as the Diet Coke. We did fill a 2 liter bottle of Diet Coke with Mentos and put the cap on it. Andy then threw it on the ground. Nothing happened so he kept throwing it. It exploded and almost hit a car that was driving past us. We were soaking wet with soda. One of many crazy adventures! The picture is a screengrab from my youtube channel. So it is very pixelated from. 20 years ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up1DoY8Cfwg