Obituary for C. Andrew "Andy" Buck
C. Andrew (Andy) Buck
Andy passed away on Saturday, March 14, 2020 with family by his side. He is survived by his loving wife of 36 years, Gail Wietelmann; his sister Marilyn Buck Cassella; several nephews and nieces and their families, including, locally, nephews Matthew Cassella and Paul Cassella, as well as Nicholas Bauer and niece Margaret Bauer to whom he was a second father. Born in 1950 in New Haven, CT, Andy grew up in Hamden, CT with his father Floyd Buck, his mother Edith Barber Buck, and his sister. He graduated from the Hopkins School in New Haven in 1968 and completed four years of study at Syracuse University, majoring in architecture and fine arts. His college years were ones of deep friendships, new discoveries, and work with Light Work, where he was a founding board member.
After college, Andy followed his interest in music, working as a roadie for Larry Coryell. His European tour with Larry provided him a rich album of memories that he frequently revisited. At age 27, Andy was in a car accident that left him quadriplegic. Though his mobility was changed forever, it was in the New Britain Rehab Hospital that he met his future wife and life partner, Gail Wietelmann. With Gail's loving attention, the support of a solid network of family and friends, and, above all, through his own resilience, grit, and intellectual curiosity, Andy built himself an amazing new life. He earned a certificate in computer programming, learned to drive a wheelchair van better than most of us drive our conventional cars, and surrounded himself with books, music, art, natural beauty, and people he loved and admired.
Though he worked as an information technology specialist for several Hartford insurance companies, photography was Andy's true vocation. A master of many formats, Andy’s photographs show a concern with geometry, abstraction, and the human imprint on the natural world. His work has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions and is in several permanent collections. Andy’s work can be viewed online at http://www.andrewbuck.com with a tribute on the Light Work blog: https://www.lightwork.org/news/andrew-buck-1950-2020
Andy embraced life fully. He loved all things warm—basking in the sun whenever weather permitted or by a roaring fire in winter. Games and crosswords with family and friends were a reliable source of fun and friendly but intense competition. Andy was an avid patron of galleries, museums, theaters, and concerts and an enthusiastic traveler. Among his favorite destinations were the Buck family cabin in the Berkshires, a place that Andy helped his father build, and points along the Maine coast. He noticed and appreciated the natural world around him, including birds, gardens, trees, and landscapes both dramatic and seemingly mundane. On hearing of his passing, a friend wrote, "Andy was an attentive traveler through this world.” We will miss him and never forget him.
A celebration of his life will be held at a future date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to http://www.foodshare.org.
Andy passed away on Saturday, March 14, 2020 with family by his side. He is survived by his loving wife of 36 years, Gail Wietelmann; his sister Marilyn Buck Cassella; several nephews and nieces and their families, including, locally, nephews Matthew Cassella and Paul Cassella, as well as Nicholas Bauer and niece Margaret Bauer to whom he was a second father. Born in 1950 in New Haven, CT, Andy grew up in Hamden, CT with his father Floyd Buck, his mother Edith Barber Buck, and his sister. He graduated from the Hopkins School in New Haven in 1968 and completed four years of study at Syracuse University, majoring in architecture and fine arts. His college years were ones of deep friendships, new discoveries, and work with Light Work, where he was a founding board member.
After college, Andy followed his interest in music, working as a roadie for Larry Coryell. His European tour with Larry provided him a rich album of memories that he frequently revisited. At age 27, Andy was in a car accident that left him quadriplegic. Though his mobility was changed forever, it was in the New Britain Rehab Hospital that he met his future wife and life partner, Gail Wietelmann. With Gail's loving attention, the support of a solid network of family and friends, and, above all, through his own resilience, grit, and intellectual curiosity, Andy built himself an amazing new life. He earned a certificate in computer programming, learned to drive a wheelchair van better than most of us drive our conventional cars, and surrounded himself with books, music, art, natural beauty, and people he loved and admired.
Though he worked as an information technology specialist for several Hartford insurance companies, photography was Andy's true vocation. A master of many formats, Andy’s photographs show a concern with geometry, abstraction, and the human imprint on the natural world. His work has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions and is in several permanent collections. Andy’s work can be viewed online at http://www.andrewbuck.com with a tribute on the Light Work blog: https://www.lightwork.org/news/andrew-buck-1950-2020
Andy embraced life fully. He loved all things warm—basking in the sun whenever weather permitted or by a roaring fire in winter. Games and crosswords with family and friends were a reliable source of fun and friendly but intense competition. Andy was an avid patron of galleries, museums, theaters, and concerts and an enthusiastic traveler. Among his favorite destinations were the Buck family cabin in the Berkshires, a place that Andy helped his father build, and points along the Maine coast. He noticed and appreciated the natural world around him, including birds, gardens, trees, and landscapes both dramatic and seemingly mundane. On hearing of his passing, a friend wrote, "Andy was an attentive traveler through this world.” We will miss him and never forget him.
A celebration of his life will be held at a future date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to http://www.foodshare.org.