James Lee Andrews

January 11, 1944 – September 9, 2020

James Lee (Jim) Andrews was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on January 11, 1944. He was adopted by Louise Seeger Andrews and Walter G. Andrews when he was 4. He died of cancer on September 9, 2020.

Jim grew up on the outskirts of Saint Paul, Minnesota where he graduated from St. Paul Academy in 1963. He attended Beloit College in Beloit, Wisconsin. In 1965 while at Beloit, Jim was accepted into a program called Junior Year in Heidelberg, Germany. He met his future wife Ursula during this year in Heidelberg, and she was the love of his life. They took a fun adventure road trip together, travelling through Italy and into Turkey in the early spring of 1966 and got engaged shortly thereafter. The Andrews family invited Ursula to come to the United States to attend Beloit College Jim’s senior year and Jim and Ursula were married in spring of 1967.  Jim graduated from Beloit in 1967 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, and shortly thereafter Ursula and Jim’s daughter Helene was born.  Jim went on to get a Master’s Degree in German from the University of Wisconsin.

After finishing his Master’s degree, the young family moved to Washington State where Jim attended the University of Washington and was certified as a teacher of German. His continued education at the University of Washington included a master’s degree in educational psychology, as well as a certification to teach history. During this time, in 1969, the family grew to include a second daughter named Kirsten. Jim was hired by the Shoreline school district in Seattle as a middle school German teacher and later taught in Puyallup for several years.

Wanting to tap into his artistic and creative side, Jim and Ursula moved the family to Germany for 10 months in 1973, so he could train with a glazer who had experience in stained glass window making. The family moved back to Seattle for a short time, and again relocated to Germany a second time in 1975 so Jim could attend a 2-year course in stained glass design and manufacture at the glass school in Hadamar, Germany. In 1977 after completing the course, the family returned to Seattle where he started the planning to open a stained glass studio.

Jim’s dream was realized in 1979 when the family moved to Stanwood, Washington into a custom designed house on 20 acres with a glass workshop. During the time in Stanwood, Jim met some well-known German glass designers and worked as an interpreter and assistant to several of these international stained glass masters at the Pilchuck School. Jim and Ursula generously shared their home and extended their hospitality to many of these masters and formed long-lasting friendships with them. Jim’s stained glass work can be seen locally at the Stanwood Library where he created a large beautiful stained glass window with important town dates and a timeline silkscreened onto the glass. He also designed numerous stained glass windows for family and friends. In 1990, Jim was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, which affected his fine motor control and made it challenging for him to employ his craft.

Having 20 acres allowed Jim and Ursula to plant many fruit trees, build a beautiful garden, and own some livestock. Jim enjoyed working in the yard, especially large jobs involving his beloved tractor, tools and wood splitter. The family would split and stack several cords a year to heat the house.

Jim really enjoyed learning new things and welcomed the chance to expand his knowledge base every day. His memory for facts was as remarkable as his love of a good joke. He could always bring a lightness and sense of humor and playfulness to any situation. Jim also loved children, especially his two girls. Jim was a natural teacher and enjoyed sharing his knowledge. He also enjoyed some woodworking, building a cradle for the girls, and collecting N gauge trains (he has over 100 cars and engines!). He was a gifted scholar and tutor, creative thinker, and a kind, loving and loyal family man. Jim often commented that each day was beautiful, and that he had been so fortunate in his life to meet and marry Ursula.

Jim is survived by his wife Ursula, daughters Helene Andrews-Polymenis and Kirsten Andrews, son-in-law Michael Polymenis, grandchildren Aggela and Athena Polymenis, and sister Martha Andrews.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, donations may be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, https://www.nationalmssociety.org/ or the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, https://www.pancan.org/. Thank you!