Andrew Harrington Nelson was born to Peter Jeffrey Nelson and Mary Engler Nelson in Brookfield Wisconsin in 1980. He died on June 1st 2025 of injuries from a car accident.
He is survived by his wife Janet Nelson, their two children Geoffrey and Katherine Nelson, sister Susan Nelson, nephew Barack Nelson, both parents, and many extended family members.
Andy was a big-hearted/big-feeling person. He loved deeply - this was his “superpower”.
He has always been a people person, wanting someone to share in the present. This sharing brought the moment to life for him. His open manner invited others in. His friendliness and willingness to be there for others, at home and at work, built such a strong community. Caring about people and bestowing gifts - not just on family members but even strangers - delighted him.
Andy’s presence was felt in whatever space he entered because of his exuberant spirit, his joy, his wild and wonderful ideas, his way of making everything more fun. His laughter, smiles, teasing, and ability to infuse playfulness into the moment is who he was.The boundaries of the usual did not contain him. Andy reached for a life that was wider. He did not hesitate to live fully, beyond the ordinary and conventional.
Perhaps this was because in his early 20's he faced a debilitating life-threatening heart condition and after heart surgery he was given a second chance to live life fully.
After treatment he went on to finish his undergraduate studies at the U of M which included a study in Kenya where he met and then married Janet Munyao.Together they navigated Medical School at UW Madison, ER residency at Christ Hospital in Chicago, and then moved to Middleton to build a family together.
Practicing emergency medicine brought Andy much satisfaction. He loved solving the medical puzzles that people brought to him. But even more important to Andy was making a human connection with the patient. He enjoyed the camaraderie of being part of an ER team and working together to bring new ideas to the department to improve patient care.
Andy was a physical person who embraced movement from completing an Ironman, running and biking with friends, hiking to kite boarding. He had a love of travel moving beyond the parochialism of Wisconsin to experience a wider world and its peoples.
Andy was a great father who so dearly loved his children and positively affected their lives. He instilled in his son and daughter some of the aspects which he considered to be a life well-lived, such as encouraging his daughter Katherine and being a cheerleader in her drive to work towards physical achievements and goals. Andy’s broader view of the world gave Geoffrey a springboard to seek an international realm for his education and life. He gave them the support and importantly the independence to seek out who they were and achieve their goals
Janet, his wife, was his anchor and the love of his life. Her love, steadfastness, solid presence in the home was essential for the family and for Andy as he navigated his life. Andy’s love for his family is what gave him his deepest joy.
Andy lived a beautiful full life filled with love and gusto.