One of the parts of getting older that really sucks is I seem to attend more funerals than weddings. It’s a sad fact of file, and this was one of the reasons Andy Warren and I created SQL Memorial, to keep those we’ve known close to our hearts.

In a few internal posts, and a few external ones, I keep seeing this picture:

It’s one I took in 2016 with a selfie stick I’d gotten just before my trip to Redgate. There are a lot of familiar faces in here, but this was the content team at that time with myself, Grant, Tony (far right) and Andrew somehow in the center.

This is a memorable picture and likely taken after lunch when Tony, Andrew, and I had visited a pub somewhere in the Cambridge area. I will treasure those memories of us sitting together, chatting about various work or non-work topics and enjoying a break from the office. Those chaps were some of the few that would have a pint at lunch, and I was pleased to be invited along.

My most fond memory of Andrew was on one of the Redgate outings, where we’d taken the entire Marketing department out for a day. I happened to be in Cambridge and we visited a small printing museum in a little town, we had to draw a self portrait, and here’s my incredibly poor effort:

The thing that struck me from that day was how Andrew was quite the Renaissance man. He was interested in everything, how technology worked, including the old printing presses. He delved into how books used to be produced and could give me an education of some of the historical aspects of both how to bind a book as well as the history of some famous books from ancient times.

Perhaps one of the more interesting things we discussed was life in the country. Andrew had a small farm where he raised some crops and animals. He had an old water wheel he was refurbishing that would either produce power to grind crops into flour, or it would be retrofitted to produce electricity. He explained to me how this horizontal wheel in the river would be placed to capture energy.

Over the years we had many chances to discuss various topics. He even came to PASS a few times, one of which I captured below. That’s Andrew on the left.

Of course, there’s never enough time with friends. Andrew lived an amazing and long life, but it sadly ended before any of us who knew him expected it.

I feel lucky that I had the moments and memories with Andrew that I did.