Roll Call Tribute

Andrew "Andy" Galewsky 

November 30, 1954 - October 15, 2024 

Andrew Galewsky of Fredericksburg, Texas passed away in the early morning of October 15, 2024 at the age of 69 at his home with his wife Lisa, the love of his life, by his side. He died from metastatic colon cancer.

Andrew is survived by his loving wife Lisa of Fredericksburg; his son, David and wife Maggie of Hondo; his daughter Alexandra and husband Judson of Austin. Andrew or “Ace” as he was called is also survived by his three grandchildren Wyatt, Lyle, and Wren.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Sonia Galewsky of Beaumont.

Andrew was born November 30, 1954 in Beaumont, Texas, the first of five sons, followed by Daniel, Samuel, Benjamin, and Joseph. He attended Texas A&M University, Class of 1977 and was a member of the Corps of Cadets Company L2, the Roughriders. After graduating with a degree in Recreation Parks and Tourism Sciences he became a national park ranger. He was assigned to Guadalupe Mountains National Park, followed by Carlsbad Caverns National Park, and finally Big Thicket National Park where he decided that computers and software engineering were his calling. He attended Lamar University for a time pursuing a master’s degree in computer engineering before dropping out after he claimed that his professor started asking him for computer advice.

David was born in 1986 while they were still living in Beaumont. They moved to Austin in 1989 where Andrew started his software engineering career in earnest, and Alexandra was born in 1990.

Andrew’s career took him all over the world and he was a lifelong traveler and adventurer. He traveled all over Europe and lived for a time in Switzerland and England. He frequently spent time in Russia and visited Israel and Auschwitz, Poland on his travels, places that were important to him as a Jew.

Andrew and Lisa bought a ranch near Brady in the mid 90’s. Over the years they spent countless hours working on the 100-year-old house, shooting guns, hosting family, tinkering, and drinking beer. He took his role as a gentleman rancher seriously and never worked too hard for fear that it would interfere with the fun stuff.

In 2009 David married his beautiful wife Maggie in Austin in front of both Andrew and Lisa’s parents despite their own health issues. Wyatt was born in 2013, Lyle was born in 2015, and Wren was born in 2022. While Wyatt was in utero Andrew had a dream that Wyatt called him Ace and so he was called Ace ever after.

Andrew and Lisa retired (sort of) to Fredericksburg where they remodeled an old house and Andrew was a member of the VFD while also working on a software business project with his friend and protégé Luke.

Andrew fought his battle with metastatic colon cancer with everything he had. He was able to see his daughter, Alexandra, marry her loving husband Judson a few weeks before his death at a speedy but meaningful ceremony in their beautiful backyard in Fredericksburg.

Andrew was a true renaissance man. He was a pilot, a rock climber, a boy scout leader, a businessman, a rancher, a welder, an inventor, a whiskey distiller, a crack shot, a skier, a cyclist, a reader, a firefighter, a caver, a scuba diver, a son, a brother, a father, and a grandfather. Most importantly he was a devoted husband to Lisa Galewsky who he met at Texas A&M. They married in 1979 in the worst snow storm in years and he loved her with all his heart for the next 45 years. Although he is gone from this earth that love is present and lives on in his wife, children, and grandchildren.

There will be a private celebration of Andrew’s life at a date to be announced. If you feel called to, please donate to the Fredericksburg Volunteer Fire Department or the National Parks Foundation.

Expressions of sympathy can be sent to www.schaetter.com. 

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Schaetter Funeral Home.