Roger L. Andrews
8/16/1936 - 3/19/2026

Roger L. “Buddy” Andrews, 89, of Kerrville, passed away Thursday, March 19, 2026, at home.

He was a fixer. A Handy Andy. Before our fourth Christmas as a family he found a tricycle in a ditch, covered in dirt and met with skepticism. By Christmas morning, it had become a shiny tricycle under the tree. He kept a washer and dryer going for more than 30 years, traveling across the Atlantic twice and across six states to boot. His fixing extended to cars: he restored a 1950 MG-TD twice that still runs to this day, built a replica of a 550 Porsche Spyder, and worked on more automobiles and engines than our family can count – he never met a car he didn’t like.

While Buddy’s heritage was Scottish and Czech, the Czech blood reigned. He loved beer of all kinds, except Bitburger Pils. His paternal Scottish ancestors were here long before we became a country, while his maternal Czech grandparents landed in Galveston in 1905 and settled in Yoakum, Texas. When his mother and her siblings began school, they spoke only Czech but his mother never taught him her first language...the better to have adult conversations with her family, with the children none the wiser. He was industrious, taking his first job at 10 years old working at the neighborhood grocery store. He went on to work for an uncle in his trucking business, at the town swimming pool, and a local drug store.

Buddy kept working, spending summers as a water well driller while at Texas A&M College in order to support his young family of three. He graduated in 1959 with a bachelor of science in Industrial Technology, and went on to serve as a soldier in the US Army for another 30 years. Although retired as a Colonel, his love of soldiers and soldiering never retired. In his years of service, Buddy commanded at every level commensurate with his rank. One of his chaplains reported that he could squeeze talent out of a turnip, and he did. During his service, Buddy moved well over 20 times, being stationed in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Florida, Germany, Vietnam, and Korea….these last two locations without his family. Those many moves didn’t always entail crossing a border; one assignment in San Pedro, California had the family living in a motel and three different houses over 18 months.

Buddy met his wife Lynn, in 1956 the night of his brother’s wedding, and married her 14 months later despite him saying that day he would never marry as “it was too much trouble.” He and Lynn had six children … daughters Cynthia and Karolyn, and sons Mark, Benjamin (Ben), James (Jim), and Matthew; four grandchildren (Ryan, Kayla, Alexandra, and Dalton) and one great-granddaughter (Camille) and one great-grandson Michael.

Following his retirement in 1990, he and Lynn moved to Kerrville, Texas to build their new home in Kerrville Country Estates. Buddy’s fixing skills came in handy, as he and Lynn physically built most of the house themselves, Buddy taking care of the electrical and plumbing work while Lynn taped, floated, and painted. He cut tile and mixed thin set while she laid the tile he cut. He grouted, and she cleaned up. Their hard work continued when their timber-framed house, still missing its exterior stress skin panels, was rained on for 10 days straight. Every day, Buddy and Lynn swept the water off the plywood decking, but the timber frames had to be refinished. One neighbor who often visited shared a comment he told his wife “These people had six children...and now they’re building a house!”. Buddy replied, if we had not had six children we would not be building the house.

Once finished with the house, Buddy and Lynn found ways to join their new community. They joined the Notre Dame Catholic Church in 2002, and 6 months later, began volunteering at St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Shop. Buddy made signs for the church, volunteered at the school festival, co-chaired a committee that produced a photo directory for the church, and was on a planning committee for St. Peter upon the Water. In everything he did, Buddy embodied integrity. He loved God, his country, his wife, family, friends, soldiers, cars, and beer.

Mass will be held at 2 PM, Monday, March 30, 2026, at Notre Dame Catholic Church. Bishop Mike Boulette to preside.

Memorials may be made to the USO, Notre Dame Catholic School, Our Lady of the Hills School, Pregnancy Resources Center, Raphael Free Clinic.

Obituary Provided By:

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