Edward “Bud” Andre

05/16/1936-12/17/2018

Edward “Bud” Andre was born in San Francisco on May 16, 1936, the son of Edward Joseph Andre(one of nine children) and Beatrice Elizabeth Durkin (one of twelve Children). The love of his life, Joan, His father and mother, as well as his loving older sister, Mary Kathleen Doyle, and her husband, William Doyle, have predeceased him. He is survived by his loving son Stephen Edward Andre, of San Diego, CA. as well as six brilliant nieces and nephews: Patty, Willie, Tim, Mike, Mary and Ann. He studied twelve years for the Roman Catholic priesthood at St. Joseph’s College, Mountain View, CA and at St. Patrick’s Seminary/University in Menlo Park, CA and was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of San Francisco on June 9, 1962. He served as an assistant pastor at Mission Dolores Basilica, then St. Vincent de Paul parish in the Marina District of San Francisco (where he talked a would -be suicide off the Golden Gate Bridge), and at St. Matthias Church in Redwood City. He sincerely loved the people he served and was much loved in return.

Following a dispensation from Pope Paul VI, he subsequently left active priesthood in order to marry Joan Egly in Pacific Grove, CA (“the smartest, most wonderful decision I ever made”).

In order to stave off starvation, he obtained various employment as a counselor in San Francisco’s Hillcrest Juvenile Hall, as a street interviewer conducting surveys on San Francisco’s Market Street, and loaded his van with AT&T phonebooks for hand delivery to residences in the hills of SF while fending off much of the dog population of that fair city. He even learned to tie a tie while interviewing for employment for County , State and Federal positions during Nixon’s recession. One day, while standing in line at SF’s Dep’t. of Employment, he and several others were asked to rush over to the Civic Auditorium to work as movie extras in the movie “The Great White Hope”. Leaving behind stardom, he was later hired for permanent employment with San Mateo County as an officer and manager in law enforcement with the Adult Division of the Probation Department, in both street supervision and criminal investigation, a career he pursued for the next 31 years. For twelve of those years, he served as Ass’t. Director and then Director of the Victim of Violent Crime Unit and served on the board of the Victim/Witness Coordinating Council of the State of California. He often said that the people he worked with then became the closest friends of his life and were the unsung heroes of the criminal justice system. He also had many friends in low places and no one was beyond his caring. While heading up the Victim of Violent Crime Unit, he received several awards - from two US presidents, the US Attorney General’s office, from the State of California and the County of San Mateo and received an entry in Who’s Who In America. He received formal recognition for outstanding contributions for his work with Mother’s Against Drunk Driving, Victims of Domestic Violence, Abused Children, and Families of Murder Victims. He was also the recipient of the highly coveted POOTY award. (Probation Officer Of The Year) as well as the Survivor of Fort Apache award. For children of violence, he established a free toy giveaway, the most treasured of which was a professionally designed talking and singing Teddy Bear named Spinoza, used to comfort children who know they were about to die.

During this period he also made several TV appearances on behalf of Crime Victim’s Rights and aided in establishing other counties and states’ Victim programs. He also formed his own wedding business during this time, conducting over 2,650 weddings (and several funerals) often for those working in the social services and law enforcement fields.

He loved hiking and backpacking in the Sierra and locally, was a voracious reader and, with his natural openness and in-born curiosity, a good land lasting friend.

He was an ardent member for many years of Amnesty International, the Sierra Club, the Brady Campaign Against Gun Violence, the Peninsula SPCA, the Nature Conservancy, the White Robed Monks of St. Benedict, and the Probation-Detention Ass’n. of California.

And , lasty,to all his family and friends, he leaves these words from his favorite song by the great Hawaiian singer IZ, who himself died not long ago:

If it all falls apart, I will know deep in my heart, The only dream that mattered had come true...

That in this life...I was loved by you.