'He had an ability to allow so many people to feel loved': Community mourns loss of Andy Andersen

Last month, people across the Mat-Su Borough were rocked by the unexpected loss of Sutton man Andy Andersen. Known for his love of motocross, he also shared a passion common to most who call Alaska home: fishing, community, and family.

Andersen died in a plane crash July 11 near Valdez.

The loss expressed by friends and family is an example of the kind of life everyone should strive to leave behind, made simply by being the best version of themselves they could be.

Andy wasn’t a politician, he wasn’t a high-power executive, nor was he a famous actor. Andy was a simply man who loved his family, friends, and his community. His impact and his loss aren’t being measured by the money he made, or the scientific contributions he made, but rather the lives he touched, whether it was sharing kind and inspiring words, building up a dirt bike camp, or just being himself.

A proud highlight was his wrestling career with the Palmer High School wrestling team, culminating with a pair of state championship titles. Even then, Andy’s talent, sportsmanship, and outlook were apparent. As teammate Ed Hoeger said.

“(Andy was) this little badass that won every wrestling tournament we went to. He always had a smile and some jokes for me. I remember looking forward to wrestling practice because that’s where we would get to hangout due to (him) being younger and us having no classes together. If you know anything about wrestling practice it’s one of the hardest things to look forward to, Andy was one of the reasons I was able to,” Hoeger said.

His mother, Theresa, shared that Andy was always trying to chase the same goals older brother Chris’ accomplishments. Chris Andersen was a three-time state wrestling champ, which his mother says fueled Andy to pursue the sport.

“If his brother had it, Andy’d ask where was his?,” she said.

For many people, simply mention Andy’s name and most associate him with motocross racing. Not just in Alaska but throughout the motocross world, from Kansas, to Arizona to Florida, people recall his love of the sport, riding skills, and tricks.

“I’ll never forget the first time we met at the track in the middle of Kansas-he was the nicest person the planet. All of Kansas Moto is praying for you and your entire family,” wrote Bruce Richardson from Wichita, Kansas.

But it was family and connection that piqued his interest in the sport.

“What really got Andy into motocross was it was a way to bring the families together,” explains Theresa.

She said that the fractures in the families, starting with his oldest nephews, led him to go to the races and get others within his family to go along with him.

“It started as a way to make everyone come together, sit for a while and get along. He made sure everyone got along, he was proud of that,” his mother went on to say. “It wasn’t necessarily about the racing but more about the people you meet and the lifelong friends you gain.”

His enthusiasm for the sport led him to building the Valley Rally Raceway with his family. Not satisfied that he’d done enough with the raceways, Andy and his family then started the Sutton Racing Lions as a way to host races and dirt bike camps, where riders learned not just jumping, cornering, and whoops, but bike maintenance, racing rules, and riding ethics.

In a 2019 Frontiersman article about the camps, Andersen told reporter Kaden Weaver that the concept of a motocross camp is actually rather rare, that often riders pay pros or coaches for training sessions, but seldom have an opportunity to attend a camp. The camp was a way to allow young riders to benefit from an exceptionally large amount of time on the bike-a 20-hour camp instead of limited 15-30 minute practices.

“It’s becoming way more than I ever envisioned as far as community involvement,” Andy said at the time.

Andy went on to say that he invites teens from the area to come help around the track, an approach that not only brings more traffic to the raceway, but also piques an interest in the sport.

“They come up to the track and go ‘this is pretty awesome, I gotta get me a motorcycle,’” Andersen said. “To have a facility like this is pretty cool, where everybody can come on the weekends and hang out.”

Andy had a vision of not just building up motocross in Alaska, but wanted to see it hit the national stage.

“One of my goals is to get Alaska motocross to a national level,” he said. “Alaska is just not on the map.”

Andy passed his love of motocross to his sons, both of whom compete in the sport on the national level, having recently competed since they were kids.

“There is no one I know who has laid down the foundation for his kids to chase their dreams on the level you have. (He) showed us all what it means to make your kids dreams come true, and didn’t make it look easy. We all knew as adults what it must take to actually do what you’re doing for them and admired him and his family’s hard work. Above that we all wanted to see you and your boys succeed in your endeavors,” said Hoeger.

Many friends and family recalled on Andy’s Facebook page was how easygoing he was, how easy it was to talk to him, whether it was in support or encouragement of life’s struggles, living in Alaska, or the occasional appearance at Sutton Council meetings to talk about issues important to the community.

Theresa says that her son was always a talker, from the time he was a toddler.

“Oh, he would constantly talk. All the time. The only time he didn’t was when he was fishing,” she said with a laugh, “Everyone else around him could be doing 100 other things, and he’d be there just fishing.”

The void his unexpected loss has created for so many people. For this man who simply lived his life every day genuinely.

“Over all his achievements in life, I think he had an ability to allow so many people to feel loved by him, and in return allow himself to be loved by so many of us and do it while staying genuine. In my opinion it’s his greatest achievement. That is something I’m just starting to notice with so many feeling his absence in this world. He was himself, he was the same guy the last time I saw him that he was the first time I met him,” said Hoeger.

This sentiment is seen over and over on his Facebook page, along with the massive outpouring of love, grief, and tributes to Andy’s life and the impact he had on so many, not just in Sutton or in motocross, but throughout the entire Mat-Su Borough and beyond.

Andy’s legacy lies beyond his contributions to motocross, the business he owned, or the fish he caught, as summed by Scott Rideout.

“Your positive outlook, selflessness, and ambition was beyond inspiring. You had this uncanny ability to make people believe in themselves, kids and adults alike. You always had words of encouragement…You were a living, breathing example of “if you can dream it, you can do it” and you proved it every day of your life. I will carry these memories with me and remember what a good mentor, businessman, father, and friend you were, and I will try my hardest to incorporate these things into myself as I carry on. I hope to see your boys in the shop occasionally and watch them grow into men that you would be proud of. I know you’ll be there to welcome me when my day comes and I find comfort in that, but until that day, I bid you farewell my friend.”

Theresa echoed many of the comments about the many ways Andy’s personality shown through, that it’s no surprise that he is fondly remembered by so many.

“He’d say that everything that was his was everyone else’s. ‘Don’t worry, I got ya.’”

Theresa says the outpouring of support from the community has been comforting.

“Thanks to everyone for everything they’ve done, from the search to those who’ve donated in so many ways. It means so much.”

His mother asks that in lieu of flowers or donations, that people celebrate Andy’s life the way he’d want, by spending time with their kids and doing something fun.

There will be a Celebration of Life for Andy Andersen on Saturday, August 13 at Palmer High School at 2 p.m.