We Remember

ANDREWS, Mervyn

ANDREWS, Mervyn Joseph left us on April 5, 2014 at the age of 74. He will be greatly missed by his loving wife of 47 years, Linda; daughter Heather (David) Yule and their children Charlie and Ella; two brothers: Derek (Liz) and Cecil (Margaret) and their families all of Northern Ireland. Mervyn taught at Dr. Knox and K.L.O. schools for 29 years. Mervyn was active in the development of the field hockey and cricket programs in Kelowna. In his retirement, Mervyn was passionate about gardening and serving wine at Tantalus Vineyards. A celebration of Mervyn’s life will be held on Thursday, April 17, 2014 at 2:00 pm at Tantalus Vineyards, 1670 DeHart Road, Kelowna, BC. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the BC Cancer Foundation, 399 Royal Ave., Kelowna, BC V1Y 5L3 http://bccancerfoundation.com. If you wish to send a condolence, post photos or share a memory, please scroll down the page to the area called “Share Your Condolences.”

Service
Thursday, April 17, 2014 at 2:00 pm

Location
Tantalus Vineyards

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BC Cancer Foundation, 399 Royal Ave., Kelowna, BC V1Y 5L3 Link: http://bccancerfoundation.com

 


Service Information

Service Details


The service for ANDREWS, Mervyn is scheduled for Thursday, April 17, 2014 at 2:00 pm. Below you will find the map for the service location and the contact information should you have any questions.

Address & Contact for Service Location:

Tantalus Vineyards

1670 DeHart Road Kelowna, BC

Phone:


Special Requests:

None.


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Condolences

  • Karen Siluk says:

    So sorry for your loss Heather and family.

  • Lisa Opperman says:

    Heather and family my deepest sympathies during this time. Your dad was an amazing man. He will be missed.

  • Ivars. Dravinskis says:

    To Linda, Heather, and family. Sue and I are extremely shocked and saddened by Merv’s passing. My work at KLO and of course in field hockey with Merv’s was so rewarding. He taught me how to be a better coach and was always willing to share his expertise with others. Many many of Merv’s players will never forget to go and “kiss” the pole . We wish you the best at this difficult time. Sue and I will think of you on the 17th but we are unable to attend the service as we are and still will be visiting family in Edmonton.

    Sue & Ivars Dravinskis

  • Andrea Tisher Machnee says:

    My condolences to the family. I was fortunate enough to have Mr Andrews for two years while I attended Dr Knox in the early 80’s. At the time I often thought he was hard on me, I realize now that he was trying to bring out the best in me. He will always be thought of fondly.

  • Stacey (Evans) Ishkanian says:

    Mr. Andrews was an exceptional teacher; he was my favourite. Although I spent some time protesting the authority of a number of my teachers, this was never the case with Mr. Andrews. I learned a lot from him, in terms of the subject matter. He was interesting and witty and it seemed like he really enjoyed teaching.

    Mr. Andrews had a reputation for being firm and he was that, but he was kind and never a bully. Sure he’d make you stand in the hallway, next to the closed classroom door if you were late, but he didn’t do it to demoralize you. He did it to give you time to think about why you were late and what you could do differently next time. He did it to give himself an opportunity to have a private check in with you to make sure you were okay. To some extent, I expect he did it to minimize the disruption to the rest of the class although the effectiveness of that is debatable as the class was left alone to imagine the tongue lashing going on in the hallway… But his approach made sense to me and it was somehow supportive despite the context of being in trouble. This is just one example of his sometimes anxiety-provoking yet always quite reasonable approach.

    When he asked me to do push ups in class (I can’t recall why…), I did them. When I asked him to call me “Cameron” (it was a short phase…), he was respectfully obliging. I hope he knew how great he was and the magnitude of his contribution over the years. I will always remember him fondly.

  • Rolli Cacchioni says:

    Dear Linda and Family,
    We’re so sorry to hear of Mervyn’s passing. We have many good memories of Mervyn. You are all in our thoughts and prayers.
    With our deepest sympathy and condolences,
    Rolli and Mary

  • Louise Myshak says:

    Linda,

    Please accept my deepest sympathy.
    Know that my thoughts and prayers are with you at this most difficult time.

  • Taylor and Scrimger says:

    It is with sadness we learned of Merv’s death. His many contributions will be missed. He has now moved onto another pitch and the game will continue. Your many fond memories will slowly fill the hole in your hearts and so will the adventures of the Charlie and Ella whom through time will reward you with glimpses of Merv.
    Sincere condolences
    Terry Taylor and Marg Scrimger

  • Carrie Weeks (Schultz) says:

    My condolences to the family. Mr. Andrews was my social studies teacher in the late 70’s at Dr. Knox. My fondest memory is having my friends in cooking class across the hall so when Mr. Andrews left our class for a minute, I ran across the hall for a cookie and when I returned the door was closed! Hence, I got caught. My punishment was that I had to do my 20 minute oral report first, on pulp and paper of all things. Needless to say, I never left his class again!! Rest in Peace Mr. Andrews.

  • Sarah and Ken Johnston says:

    To Linda and Heather, Ken and I have such fond memories of Mr Andrews. He was such an amazing person, caring, fun and energetic. I remember joking with him at field hockey games when he came to watch Heather play. He also rescued us on our way into Kelowna when the brakes on our vehicle failed. We are so sad for your loss and are thinking of you constantly , Love Ken and Sarah

  • Lene and Brian Fleeton says:

    Dear Linda, Heather and Family
    We’re so sorry for your loss, our thoughts are with you at this very difficult time.
    Mervyn’s irish wit and humour was enjoyable and will be missed.
    Our sincere condolences
    Lene and Brian Fleeton

  • Clive and Brenda Gilbert says:

    Remembering our early years at Dr. Knox when we met – and today’s grandparents were new parents! May many memories of your life together help to mitigate your loss.

  • Pat & Don Kirkey says:

    Dear Linda, Heather and family,
    We are so sorry to hear about Merv. We have so many special Andrews’ memories including our last one when Merv served us and our guests a tasting of local wine at Tantalus. His sense of humour was as sharp as ever. Please know you are in our thoughts and hearts. Hugs to all of you.

  • lindsay (marshall) joyce says:

    There have been a few people in my life that I feel were most influential in not only my early years but my life in general. Merv Andrews,(Mr. Andrews to us at all times) was one such person. I did have him for socials at Dr. Knox during my jr. high years but it was the lessons on the pitch that impacted me most.
    I wasn’t the biggest kid coming from glenmore and all my friends signed up to play fieldhockey. I hated running with a passion so quickly thought that I’d try out for goalie and eliminate the running all together. I did get one of the positions but soon came to the horrible realization that Merv’s expectations were for the goalies to do all the running along with the team but in full gear. I learned quickly not to complain but buckle down and do my best.
    He spent endless hours coaching and preparing many of us to carry on with Hank Grenda at KSS, bringing home the provincial AAA title in 1981. Without the years of support through Mr. Andrew’s coaching KSS never would have fielded such a team (in my belief). Many of us played on the X-Knox team made up of Knox alumni.
    Mr. Andrews taught me integrity, commitment to a team, team work, punctuality, true sportsmanship and pride in our accomplishments through hard work. One thing he struggled to teach us was how to be a gracious looser as Dr. Knox did not face that situation very often. Even during those years we often wondered how/why he spent so much time coaching a bunch of teenage girls, wondering why he took such an interest in a girls’ sport (leading a sheltered life in Kelowna, not realizing the sport was actually played by boys and men). The other observations were that I never remember him wearing anything other than his regular school work clothes on the field, always his regular everyday shoes and he managed to coach (along with some shouting) without really demonstrating.
    I know he will be greatly missed by so many. My thoughts and prayers for peace to Linda, Heather and family.

  • Stephanie (Sanders) and Adam Gagnon says:

    Dear Linda, Heather and family,

    We are so very saddened to hear of Merv’s passing. He was a wonderful family friend and an amazing mentor to me in so many ways. I have wonderful memories from my early childhood, to grade eight social studies, and to assisting him on the field hockey pitch. He will be greatly missed.

    Love to all of you,
    Steph, Adam, Gabriel and Nicholas

  • Harold and Lynn Popoff says:

    Hi Linda and Heather. We are very sorry for your loss. We would love to be at the winery but need to leave for a grandson visit in Cranbrook. Our thoughts will be with you!

  • Pam Hoeschle says:

    My deepest condolences to you Linda and family. I had a wonderful conversation with him the last time he was in the hospital and down in the DI dept. He made such a huge impact on me and how I not only played the game of field hockey but the game of life.

  • Lisa Holmes Wyatt says:

    Mr. Andrews (I could never bring myself to call him Merv!) coached me at Dr. Knox as well. I echo many of Lindsay (Marshall) Joyce’s comments above. Mr. Andrews demanded the best of his team. Not wanting to fall below his high expectations, he made us dig deep down to find the best in ourselves as athletes and as students of the game he loved so much. As we got to know him better during the season, we grew to greatly admire Mr. Andrews as a coach, a teacher, and a person. After grade 10 he sent us along to Mr. Grenda at KSS and we achieved success there as well. I send my best wishes along to your family and thank you for sharing Mr. Andrews with so many field hockey families.

  • Brian Plain says:

    Linda, Heather and family:

    I am so sorry to hear of Mervyn’s passing. I have fond memories of our chats and his wonderful attitude to and enthusiasm for life. He will be missed.

    Brian Plain

  • Mike and Carol Roche and family says:

    Linda and Heather and family, our family is shocked and saddened at Merv’s passing. He was such a big part of our lives as a teacher, coach and friend in earlier years. He will always be remembered for his mentorship with coaching the girls field hockey team and his dedication to the sport and the athletes themselves. His sense of humour was always there even if you were at the brunt of the jokes. We will also hold dear to our hearts our wonderful trip to the UK with the touring KLO team what a history and geography lesson that was. So many memories to hold on to, our hearts are with your family at this time

  • Don Campbell, Donna Good says:

    We were saddened to hear of Merv ‘s death. I knew things were not going well when he asked me to take over his place choir nights. Don had 3 daughters who played field hockey at KLO school. They remember him as a super coach and teacher. We will all miss him. Our sincere condolences are offered to Linda and family. We are going to be out of town on April 17, so cannot convey our thoughts personally.

  • Jane and Brian Baehr says:

    Dear Linda, Heather and family,
    It was with sadness that Brian and I heard of Merv’s passing. I have many fond memories of working with Merv in his class and trying to keep the laughter in at his dry sense of humour. Unfortunately we will not be able to attend Merv’s celebration as we will be in Edmonton.
    Brian and Jane

  • Leona Altenburg says:

    Although it saddens me very much I thought maybe i’d share some things about your dad that remind me of him, make me laugh and I will miss…

    The sweet smell of his pipe.
    Christmas cards from ‘Linda and The Saint’.
    His quirky humor & his eloquent speech,
    His puttering in the garden
    The funny way he always tried to sound annoyed when I phoned.
    The smirking sneering way he referred to me as ‘the blond’.
    His love of sport
    His love of family

    – the blond.

  • Jen, Dave and Hammond Family says:

    Linda, Heath and Dave,
    We are thinking of Mervyn today and of course all of you. Big hugs, love Jen, Dave and family

  • Karen Dixon says:

    Thinking of you all on this sad day but also remembeing all the great memories we all had together both here in northern Ireland and in your lovely home in Canada. Big hugs from karen and phil xx

  • Paul van Nieuwkuyk says:

    Heather and Linda and family,
    I am so deeply saddened to hear of Mervyn’s passing. I was lucky to know him both in the classroom and out. He taught me a lot in both spheres.
    As his student, I leaned that diligence and respect are foundations for success; outside of the classroom, he always demonstrated that good humour, care for your family and service to your community give life color and meaning. These impressions have continued to resonate strongly with me in the decades since. I am sad that serendipity has not crossed our paths since – I would have loved to share his good company and wit again.
    Please know that you have my deepest condolences and are cherished in my thoughts.
    Paul

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