In Memory of Andrew Vance
Andrew Vance
Spouse: Shiho Vance
Birthdate: March 30, 1958
Ascension: March 17, 2022
Seonghwa Ceremony: March 26, 2022
Andrew Vance was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on March 30, 1958, which was Palm Sunday that year. Andrew was always a very active and curious boy. He loved the outdoors so much that he earned the nickname “nature boy.” In particular, Andrew marveled at lightning bugs and appreciated finding box turtles in the woods near his home. He even marked the turtles’ shells with a piece of masking tape so he could identify them if he found them again after release.
Andrew loved fishing at Tanglewood Park Lake with his dad, a precious bond which continued throughout his life. There were many deep-sea fishing trips with his friend “Hammer” in Miami. Riding bicycles in the neighborhood, sledding in winter, and camping trips to Myrtle Beach were also a big part of his childhood. Andrew was an amazing athlete—he was a star baseball pitcher and also played first base. His father coached the winning Jonestown Orioles, and the team went on to play in the Little League World Series. He loved those times dearly. At R.J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, he continued to play baseball, but soon basketball became his primary sport, playing with a Championship-winning team in both 1976 and 1977.
After high school, Andrew attended North Carolina State University in Raleigh and majored in engineering. He later transferred to Weber State University in Ogden, Utah on a basketball scholarship. While in Utah, he got back into nature as a ski instructor at Snowbird Ski Resort in the Rocky Mountains. Prior to working full time as an account manager for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in Houston and in North Miami Beach, Andy traveled to Mexico for an extended stay and enjoyed scuba diving and fishing there. He lived in the Los Angeles area for some time and often joined the local surfers at the nearby beaches. Andy then found himself in Phoenix for golfing and later in Chicago. Wherever Andy traveled, he always managed to fit in his love of nature, the great outdoors, and was active in sports as much as possible.
After graduating from the college, as part of Andy’s spiritual journey, he met the Unification Church in San Francisco and joined National MFT. He eventually went out on his own and moved around for several years, taking on different jobs and activities which ultimately led him back to the church community in Miami, Florida. During this time of renewal, he supported the church leader and community activities. He also did security several times when True Parents visited Miami.
On July 25, 2004, Andrew met his wife, Shiho, and they participated in the International Blessing of 400 Million Couples held in Asan City, Korea. They began their family life in Miami, Florida in December 2004. Their beautiful blessed child, Victoria, was born in January, 2008.
The family then moved to Riverview, Florida, where Andrew had been working on his business. At some point his health started declining after he contracted Covid-19 two years ago and was in and out of the hospital. He fought through his health difficulties many times over the last few years. However, on March 17, he peacefully passed away with his wife at his side, with a smile and a heart of gratitude.
We are raising funds through GoFund Me for Andrew’s Seonghwa related expenses and for his family at this difficult time: https://gofund.me/b4bd3b92
Seonghwa Ceremony
Date: March 26, 2022 at 3:00 PM (viewing starts at 2:00 PM)
Location: Southern Funeral Care and Cremation Services, Inc. (10510 Riverview Drive, Riverview, FL 33578)
The ceremony can be watched on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82476217939
