Fernando A. Andrade

Everyone loved Fernando. “Every time you saw him he had this huge smile on his face.” He was usually the life of the party, and the outlandish stories he and Phish made up could keep a room captivated for hours. rnWith his extremely inquisitive nature, Fernando had the ability to master anything that caught his attention. Having taught himself to play the guitar, his home was filled with the many songs he wrote. Granted, most of them were about a little black dog named Kirby (coo coo ca choo). But it was always about enjoying the moment rather than writing a masterpiece. His interest in model trains eventually took up the entire attic. Self-taught, he could do just about anything with a computer, which later came in handy given his newfound love of poker. Whether on a table or online, he was always up for a game. He suffered with the Phillies and Eagles, even rooting for them years before they became championship-caliber teams. And with a genuine and sincere charm, everyone enjoyed his company. He was greeted at local establishments with a loud FERN!! like Norm from “Cheers, ” and had a knack for winning people over or driving them crazy.rnAn evening at the Towne Tavern in 1995 is where Fernando met Regina Collinsgru. And although his invitation “to go read a book and get a cappuccino” never happened, it was only weeks until they were inseparable. Wedding bells followed for this fun-loving man and entirely too serious woman who, as someone once said, “really needed Fernando to make her loosen up.” It was so true.rnHe is also survived by his parents: Anibal and Pura Andrade, his brother Bino (Bonnie), and sister Margaret (Rob) Ferrari, all of Riverside. He will be missed by the niece, nephews and cousins he loved so much. rn His in-laws loved him from the instant they met him. He will be deeply missed by his mother-in-law Jean Collinsgru, Bob Collinsgru (Maura), Cindy Collinsgru (Kathy Darnell), Karen Denovich, and was loved by the late John Collinsgru and the nieces and nephews who adored him. He also leaves to mourn him his best friends Dennis Hulfish and Jennifer Harding as well as Darren “Dawg” Filer and his friends at CVS/Lumberton. rnrnCome celebrate 49 creative, fun-loving years Saturday from 1PM at the Sweeney Funeral Home, Riverside, where the service will be at 4. Interment private. rn