1st December 1962 — 4th April 2026
Andreas Friedemann Schneider — Andy to his Australian friends, was born in Germany to his loving parents Ursula and Heinz. Andy’s father passed away when he was 10 and so Andy grew up with his loving Mum in Mettmann where it was just the two of them and this forged a super bond between them that lasted forever.
Andy learnt his early trade as an electronics engineer then moved into the IT industry as a support engineer. Later he took on a technical sales role that took him to Finland.
Andy met Jodie on a company trip to Australia where he was training up the Australian engineers. Andy and Jodie hit it off immediately and Jodie then moved to Helsinki with Andy where they lived and worked together for three years. In 1997 Andy organised a relocation to Australia to continue his technical sales role. Andy and Jodie setup home in Mangrove Mountain where Andy owner built the house and set up the property. They worked, lived and did everything together and were very very close, having a wonderful life together.
Once settled in Mangrove Mountain, Andy joined the local Rural fire brigade (RFS) where he loved participating in all aspects of the service and met many people he would stay friends with for his life. He grew in skill and experience over the years, captaining the Mangrove brigade for a time.
After 40 years, Andy retired from the computer world and starting working for a small beekeeping operation as a factory manager where he embraced learning a raft of new skills related to bees and honey and used his organisational and planning skills to assist in the growth of the company.
Andy travelled back to Germany twice a year to catch up with his Mum and all his friends. Andy’s mum passed away in 2023 and this was a huge upset to him that he never really got over.
In 2024 Andy adopted a rescue dog called Jack and they were both the highlights of each other life. Andy was diagnosed with cancer in 2025 but his treatment was seemingly going well, so his sudden passing from a severe infection was unexpected and a huge shock to all.
Andy is very loved by all. He looked after people and always took care of everyone. He will be greatly missed and always remembered.
