July 28, 1947 - November 6, 2020
Andrew is survived by his wife of almost 45 years, Janet and three daughters, Jennifer (Kaarlo) Hinkkala, Laura, and Heather Mitchell. He is also survived by his brother William (Courtney) Mitchell and sister Mary (Bill) Cant. Andrew was beloved by his family and community. He was dedicated to helping his daughter Laura. Andrew was born in the manse at Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. His father, Andrew, was a Presbyterian minister and his mother, Jane (nee Sutherland) was a nurse.
He climbed many mountains with his father and older brother including Scotland's highest mountain, Ben Nevis. At the University of Aberdeen, Andrew was awarded a heavyweight lifting metal at the Scottish Universities' Championships.
He completed his degree in forestry and immigrated to Canada soon after, finally settling on Vancouver Island. He worked for private forestry companies, then at UBC, and then for thirty years with the BC government as a forestry engineer.
He, with Laura, was a long-time regular hiker at John Dean Park and was beloved by all the other regulars. He took pride in doing restoration work on the park's trails and sharing his informative views on sustainable forest practices and restoration.
Andrew also built the timber-frame kiosk at Dominion Brook Park. He was an avid gardener, carpenter, and homebuilder. Andrew built three homes. His first was a prefab up island. He then designed and built two homes in North Saanich. His wife, Janet, worked with him to build the second home. The third house was a timber frame that Andrew built over several years.
Andrew was dedicated to his family and stood up for social justice and ecological conservation. He enjoyed reading and Scottish country dancing. Andrew lived simply in the example of Jesus throughout his life. He was intelligent, caring, and had outstanding character. He will be dearly missed.
May his trails be a lasting legacy to all. A private outdoor green burial service in Royal Oak was held on November 13.