Andrew Colditz was born on May 15th, 1987 in Morristown, N.J. On the morning of December 26, 2005, the roads were very wet and foggy when Andrew was driving to the YMCA for swimming. He went off the road and died instantly when his driver side door hit a tree.
Andrew and his family moved moved first to Hillsborough, N.J., then to Branchburg, N.J., where he grew up and made many of his lasting friends. Following his parents’ divorce when he was 10 years old, he and his mother Carrie moved in with his friend Aaron and Aaron’s father John Cooper. He lived in that house until he went to college at RPI.
Over his 18 years in this world, Andrew became an accomplished bassist, enjoying many types of music but focusing on jazz. In high school, he was an excellent student and highly ranked in his class, which gave him a place in the honors society. He worked as a life guard and at Starbucks to save for college. One of his greatest passions was swimming.
Living a life that was always looking for more, Andrew found happiness in independence and friendship in college. After coming to RPI, he joined the Chi Phi fraternity and was truly happy with the friends he made. Before he passed, he enjoyed life to the fullest with road trips, sky diving, and other great times. Andrew was a great friend; a person who was kind, passionate, and understanding. He will be deeply missed by family and friends and will be in our hearts forever.
—Aaron Cooper, Andrew’s brother
