Warner Briddell Andrews Sr.

Warner B. Andrews, Sr. passed away at home on October 31st, 2023, at the age of 89 to be with his Lord and Savior. Warner is survived by his wife, Natalie, two sons and their wives, five grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.  “Andy, Pops, or Grandad” deeply loved and was loved by his family and friends and will be missed by all who knew him.

Warner was born in Maryland to John and Evelyn Andrews.  Like others of his generation, his childhood was profoundly affected by the depression and WWII, and then by the energy of the post war years.  The Chesapeake Bay and surrounding marshes gave Warner and his life-long friend, Bill Landon, endless opportunities for adventure and a taste for raw oysters and blue crabs.  He may have moved away from the bay, but he never fully left the marsh.

After completing high school in the early fifties, Warner attended prep school where he picked up the nickname “Andy” from a roommate.  He graduated from Washington College in Chestertown with a degree in economics.  During school vacations, Warner returned home to work in the family business which was known for making high quality Carvel Hall Cutlery.  These various jobs taught him about metallurgy, manufacturing, industrial design and gave him his first exposure to sales.  Perhaps more importantly, he learned to work with and respect all kinds of people without judgement.  Carvel Hall flatware has been displayed in prominent art museums in recognition of its award winning mid-century modern design.  To this day, anyone who has ever shared a meal with Warner at his house has had the chance to appreciate the beauty and quality of Carvel Hall.

Warner served in the United States Army after college, mostly at Fort Sill in Lawton, OK.  The army provided Warner training in electronics which would underpin his later career.  Toward the end of his service, “Andy” went on a blind date and met his future bride, Natalie.  After a whirlwind courtship, they were married in Oklahoma.  The couple recently celebrated sixty-three years of loving marriage and Natalie remarked, “Andy anticipated and took care of every need I ever had.”

Upon discharge, Warner took a job in Baltimore, MD where he and Natalie welcomed their first child, Warner Jr.  He worked on a cold war defense contract which meant the new family moved all over the country.  Their second son, Wade, was born during a stint in Arkansas.  Eventually, the company moved Warner to Denver to work in aerospace manufacturing where one of his projects flew on the Skylab space station.  Much of Warner’s military service and defense work was classified but he was grateful that his efforts helped keep the peace during the height of the cold war.  Warner made sure to pass on his love of country and patriotism to his family.

In 1966, Warner left aerospace and entered the electronics industry as a manufacturing engineer (ME) to make core memories for IBM computers which were woven together by hand.  Later, Warner joined a well-known computer storage startup in Broomfield.  There, he set up a state-of-the-art printed circuit assembly operation in just four weeks and went on to manage the ME group for the whole company.  Eventually, Warner ventured out on his own and formed Andrews Associates to sell electronics manufacturing equipment.  Together, he and Natalie served suppliers and customers in the Rocky Mountain region for twenty years until retiring in 2003 after twenty-three successful years.

Warner became a Christian at the age of twelve and rededicated his life to Christ when he was twenty-one to live as a Christian businessman. He served as a Deacon at Cherry Hills Community Church and as a Stephen Minister at St James Presbyterian Church.  For many years, Warner met with a group of men from St James for Tuesday breakfast and greatly enjoyed their friendship.  Most recently, he attended Highline Community Church.  At Highline, he helped start the Thursday morning bible discussion group with Biff Gore.   Warner’s sincere faith and belief in Jesus Christ, and Christian community saw him through all of life’s ups and downs.

Warner loved exploring Colorado by four-wheeling and camping with Natalie, the boys, and Peekaboo, the first of four Samoyed dogs in the family.  He enjoyed jazz, big band music and Broadway show tunes.  He was his son’s biggest and loudest fan in all their sports activities, attending every game.  During retirement, he became infatuated with gardening and landscaping, even installing a garden railroad.  Warner was a lifelong Lionel Model Train enthusiast starting at age four when he received his first train for Christmas.  He collected “O” gauge trains and operating accessories from the Post WWII era and dedicated many hours to building and maintaining a basement sized layout.  At one point, Warner built a mobile train layout to bring the joy of model trains to children of all ages.     

Warner was actively involved in the community and in helping friends and neighbors.  Throughout their life, Warner and Natalie took in numerous young people in times of need and helped them get back on their feet.  While his sons were home, he was a Scout Master for Boy Scouts and helped start the Lacrosse Club at the boy’s high school.  After retirement, he volunteered with SCORE which pairs retired executives with small business owners in a mentorship program.  For many years he served weekly with Overseas Mission Foundation in the Stewardship Department.  He was a talented home handyman who enjoyed helping friends and neighbors.  After retiring, Warner and Natalie became court appointed advocates to help the Arapaho County Social Service Department oversee their child abuse cases.  This exposed them to the tougher side of the community and blessed the children they were assigned.  It is hard to overstate the positive impact that Warner and Natalie had on the people they came across in their lives.  

Warner was guided all his life by a quote from his grandfather, “My advice is to be honest and upright in business, serving the Lord and taking Him in your plans and ways and it is my belief that your efforts will be crowned with success.”  Warner lived his life with this assurance and always encouraged his family and friends that things would work out for the best.  He described himself as a Christian Businessman whose purpose was to make the world a better place by bringing these principles with him wherever he went.   Warner loved God and he loved his neighbors.  In this, he was a fantastic role model, and his impact will be sorely missed.

A Celebration of Warner’s Life will be held at Highline Community Church, November 11th, 2023 at 11:00 AM.   For those unable to attend, the service can be seen online at highlinecc.org by selecting “livestream” from the menu.  It will be Veteran’s Day and Warner would be wearing patriotic colors.  Please consider something wearing or doing something patriotic in honor of Warner’s and all veteran’s service.  Warner will be interred at Ft. Logan National Cemetery with military honors in a private ceremony.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the charity of your choice in Warner’s honor.

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