Final Salute

1924-2021

Mass of Christian Burial for Wayne Andrews, 96, of Storm Lake, Iowa, will be held at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 7, at St. Mary Catholic Church in Storm Lake.

To watch the livestream of the service, click the link https://bit.ly/3fjGYmn and enter in the password: funeral. Burial will follow at St. Mary Catholic Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4 until 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 6, with a Knights of Columbus rosary at 6 p.m. and vigil service to follow, all at Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake. Masks and social-distancing are required for all guests in attendance.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be given to the St. Mary School Foundation at 300 E. Third St., Storm Lake, Iowa 50588 or the SOS Store at 409 Cayuga St., Storm Lake, Iowa 50588. Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake is in charge of the arrangements.

Wayne H. Andrews passed away on Thursday, March 25, 2021.

Born in Carroll, Iowa, July 10, 1924, the youngest child of Otis R. Andrews Sr. and Rosella B. (Shea) Andrews, Wayne joined his brother Otis Robert Jr. “Bob” and sister Dorothy “Dot” in a loving, hardworking, faith-filled, patriotic family. Many knew Wayne as “Andy.” His mother enjoyed telling the story that when someone phoned the house, asking for Andy, she would reply, “Who do you wish to talk to? Otis, Dot, Junior, or Wayne?”

By either name, Wayne had a passion for an active life early on. He took his schooling seriously at St. Joseph Catholic Grade School and Carroll Public High School. Shortly after graduation, Wayne enlisted in the U.S. Navy. As a Seabee, he traveled with his mates to the South Pacific for two years. At the close of the war, Wayne was honorably discharged with the rank of petty officer 3rd class. He served in the U.S. Navy Reserve from 1946-1949.

Upon his return stateside, Wayne stopped by Rettenmaier Drug Store in Carroll, Iowa, to thank a young lady who wrote and sent letters from home to bolster a young sailor’s spirits. That young woman stole his heart. Wayne Andrews and Bernie Niehaus were married Sept. 15, 1947, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Carroll. Wayne had the opportunity to work at McCoy Motors honing not only his auto-body-repair and glass-repair skills, but also his business skills.

In 1952, a new job opportunity at Peterson Motors brought the young couple and the first of five daughters to Storm Lake. In a short three years, Wayne and his partner, Pete Schwitters were ready to start a new auto-repair business aptly named, Schwitters and Andrews Body Shop. In time, the business became Andrews Body Shop, the successful business that served Wayne’s family and his customers well for 35 years.

Serving his church and community were of utmost importance to Wayne. From 1946 to 1952, he served as the sergeant-at-arms for the Carroll American Legion Burial Squad. Over the years, Wayne volunteered his time in Storm Lake as president of the St, Mary School Board for six years, as a St. Mary Parish lay director, lector, Eucharistic minister, and a good Samaritan. As a Knight of Columbus, Wayne was Grand Knight, district deputy, and state long-range planning director. A 4th Degree Knight, Wayne was a Faithful Navigator and served on the State 4th Degree Exemplification Staff for 40 years. Wayne served as chairman for the SCORE Chapter, served on the Buena Vista Red Cross Civil Service Commission, a care review committee at Methodist Manor, a member of Kiwanis High Noon, a member of the American Legion and VFW. Wayne and his wife, Bernie, were Commodores of the Star-Spangled Spectacular for three years. Wayne and Bernie received the Senior Volunteer of the Year Award in 2013 presented by CommUNITY Education.

Wayne was equally involved with his daughters’ projects and sports events at St. Mary School, including building sets for theater productions and musicals, designing gym décor for proms, Fun Fairs, and chauffeuring to ball games and track meets.

Wayne’s favorite team was truly the St. Mary Panthers. He was on the bench as their basketball timekeeper at all home games for over 50 years. Wayne continued his volunteering as the SOS (Support Our Schools) Thrift Store president of the board for seven years. Working in the back room repairing and polishing was an enjoyable way for Wayne to support his community and St. Mary School while working with his friends.

Wayne’s bright blue eyes always shined with a wee bit of Irish mischievous. He loved sharing jokes and harmless pranks with his buddies. A great storyteller, Wayne was often asked by his daughters to repeat the stories of his childhood, his meeting their mother, and adventures with his parents. An avid sailor, Wayne made the best of every day spent on the lake, whether it was floating on a raft, paddling a canoe, skimming the surface on a sailboat, or flying across the lake in a speed boat that pulled his daughters through the waves on skis. Family gatherings were plentiful and always adventuresome.

Those cherishing his memory and continuing his passion for helping others are five daughters: Barbara (Jerry) Rathke, Jane (Gus)Erickson, Mary Beth (Mick Polich) Andrews, Trish (Joe) Zielinski and Amy (Dan) Hurley; eight grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; 2+ great-great-grandchildren; treasured in-laws, and many dear nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of nearly 73 years, Bernie Niehaus Andrews; his parents, Otis R. and Rosella B. Andrews; brother, Otis R. Jr. “Bob” (Helena) Andrews; sister, Dorothy (Max) Schumacher; in-laws, Marie and Louis Niehaus; brothers-in-law Donald and Merle Niehaus; and great-granddaughter, Stephanie Santor.