In Memory of Andrew Gartland-Jones

I was thinking of Drew and as long as I do he will never be gone. I grew up with Andy. We went to the same school, we listened to the same music, and later played together in the same bands. There were the three of us Andy, myself and Nitin.We spent a good ten years glued together. At the end of our teens we all went off in differnent directions. We lost contact for a few years, untill I finally met Andy and Theresa in Canterbury in 2002. We had dinner,it like we had never been apart. We then only conversed by E-mail. I learnt of Drews passing in a strange way, I went into my local HMV store and was thumbing through CDs until I found Nitins new album, which he had deicated to Andy. It was like our teenage triangle had come back into play. This was in the following June. I was so stuned I sat down on the spot. I was crushed. Drew was a truely boundless person who had time for everyone.Gifted and modest. My thoughts are with Theresa and the children and Maureen and Chris and Lisa.

I don’t want to count the months since Andrew’s death because that time does not really matter. What matters is how many people’s thoughts still reach out to Andrew from day to day.

Every time I have a conversation from someone within the ex-ATG consultancy community, Andrew is mentioned. He was a huge force within that temporary family, and was one of the individuals that made that time in people’s lives so special.

What a tribute to a person. That so many people were and still are touched by his life, his work, his talent, and his personality.

These thoughts are for Theresa, Fintan, Luca, Lisa and her family, and Andrew’s parents. Hopefully you receive some peace knowing there are so many people still thinking of and loving Andrew - for how much he has touched our lives.

'I could give all to Time except-except
What I myself have held. But why declare
The things forbidden that while the Customs slept
I have crossed to Safety with? For I am There
And what I would not part with I have kept.'

Robert Frost

It’s taken me over a year to be able to write this about my wonderful son Andrew. You could not wish for a kinder, more thoughtful son. He always made his Dad and me feel loved and wanted. God gave us a very precious gift when we had him and his sister, Lisa.

Why He has taken him away I will never understand, but I count my blessings in Fintan and Luca, Andrew will live on in our precious boys. Also I have Lisa and Warren’s Frankie. All three boys bring me such joy.

Theresa has always been a wonderful mother, but she has been mother-of-the-year, as far as I am concerned. Never a day goes by without my heart going out to her.

I did not know that I could hurt so much, and that there are so many tears to shed. Andrew is always with me, his Dad and I talk and can even laugh at the antics he got up to.

Chris and I want to thank everyone for such lovely tributes to our son. He was a very special person, if the world was made up of Andrews, what a wonderful place it would be!

We thank all of Theresa and Andrew’s friends, especially Jo and Al, Steve and Anna for being good friends to Theresa and the boys, it means such a lot to me to know that Theresa has that support.

I called Andrew "my precious boy" - Jo and I had to laugh about that. Life is very precious, and each and every one of us should try and live it to the full.

Thank you Andrew for being my son, you are never far away.

We also wish to add our thoughts of remembrance on this first anniversary weekend. Andrew was SUCH an incredibly talented person, and yet he retained a wonderful non-arrogant way about him. We joined ATG at about the same time and I simply cannot think of anyone who didn’t hold him in the highest esteem.

On a personal level, it was a pleasure to have met Theresa & Andrew and to have shared food, wine and conversation together. A lasting memory will be the weekend we spent in Hove chez Gartland-Jones. I was in the very early stages of pregnancy so they were amongst the first people to know that we were to be parents. I remember thinking that their family life was something to emulate if at all possible!! I particularly remember waking up on the Sunday morning and two little angelic faces looking at me. I know that those two little angels have a wonderful mother and that she will ensure that they know that their father was a tremendous person.

Andrew’s premature death is proof indeed that life is totally unfair.

Its taken me so long to add my thoughts to this list.
I can hardly believe a year has passed since I last saw Drew.
It has been a roller coaster of a year and I have discovered many things
about myself and the people around me.
I would like the boys to know how proud and inspired I have been by their
Mum who has strived and succeeded in helping them with their loss and to
keep their lives interesting and happy. Theresa was always a dear friend but
I now feel her and the boys are part of my family and always will be.
Al and I miss how it used to be so much, the drinks, the food, the laughs
and the talk we all shared together.
Drew the chef and the raconteur, even now I want to tell him everytime I
discover a new fantastic 4 quid wine and a new twist on a favorite Nigella
recipe.
Drew we miss you, reading this guest book again just makes me cry for the
bloody unfairness of losing you.

We all basked in the warmth that emanated from Drew. He radiated a contagious sense of easy ability that left us feeling that, with him in the world, whatever one wanted was in reach. He was extraordinarily generous with his time, his effort, his friendship, his cooking… I think he understood something important about the value of human connections; perhaps because he found intellectual work comparatively easy, he was free to realise the value of other things - family, friends, companionship. A meeting of souls such as that between Theresa and Drew is surely rare and I can hardly think how she must feel her loss. The death of somebody so full of life and creativity is particularly hard to take in: I can’t help feeling that it is as if the gods were jealous of him.
I didn’t want to write at first because it all felt too raw, and many people have already expressed much of what I feel, but I decided to leave a note for the boys, for when they’re older, from one more person who feels very deeply the loss that they and their mum have suffered and who held their Dad in the fondest and highest esteem.

Very sorry to hear of Drew's passing, I met him briefly through my participation in Big Blip 04. Sincere condolences to Theresa, family and friends.

I can't seem to get past it......

Andrew was quite simply my best friend. I knew him from the age of five.We were like brothers. We grew up together, played in bands together, went to study Flamenco together..... At one point (in our teens) we even dated sisters! Without Andrew's boundless energy and enthusiasm for life, mine would have been a solitary and dull existence.

So much reminds me of Andrew. Here was a man capable of almost chameleon-like transitions across a huge variety of skills. One moment, he'd be juggling apples, alternately taking bites and passing them behind his back..... The next he'd be playing Bach on his guitar with unerring precision and awe inspiring emotional empathy. You could discuss anything with him..... From Einstien's Unified theory to Quantum mechanics to religion to art...... Andrew was like a human sponge with a seemingly endless ability to learn, process and adapt.

More than all of this he was an incredibly loyal friend...... and so unbelievably funny! I remember in our late teens when Andy, Ian Harris and I walked into a pub, each of us imagining that the others would front money for drinks...... we ended up drinking from the same glass of Diet Coke with three straws!

Andy, so much reminds me of you, mate: a laugh in a crowded room, a comment, the enthused walk of a hungry student. Above all, though, I miss your ability to listen with boundless compassion and understanding. You're a one-off ..... my eternal inspiration.

I'm recording a new album.... This one's for you.

My deepest sympathies to Theresa, the children and to Chris and Maureen.

Nitin

Drew was outstanding among the University colleagues. He will be missed by us all. My sincerest condolences go to his family and friends.

We have know Andrew since he was a young lad, when he would come to our house to play the guitar and keyboards, jam with us, and compose music on our equipment. He was an extremely talented and intelligent boy, with a wonderful personality and sense of humour, we have had many, many laughs with him. As his future flourished, we would keep in touch with his progress through his parents, who are our neighbours. We last saw Andrew 18 months ago, when he greeted us as though there had been no time lapse. Words fail us at the news of his tragic death, but his memory will remain as strong as the affection we had for him throughout the years.