Andy Richardson….How do we explain our devastation and heartbreak over losing our friend Andy? Some people knew Andy longer than we did and some not as long. Some may feel they knew him better than we did, and some not as well. Whatever your relationship with Andy was, for those who loved him, our memories are now precious and priceless.

Andy created and maintained personal and close relationships with more people than most knew. The vastly different people with whom he interacted proves that. He could be an expert for the FAA, a genius for balloon design and creation, a master for pilot training, a savior for the downtrodden, a shoulder for the sad, a drinking buddy for the party crowd, a business partner for the dreamer. His age never mattered because his brilliance brought respect as a peer, no matter what the age difference. And to all, he was a true friend who never turned anyone away, even to his own detriment.

Greg and Andy talked several times a week if not daily, not because of work or balloons or production, but about whatever mattered at that moment to either of them. And when he didn’t talk to Greg, he would text me “how’s Greggie,” especially over these last six weeks after Greg’s dad died unexpectedly. Our family is very small so we cherish our best friends like family and Andy was a best friend and brother in Greg’s life for the last four years.

I always said Andy was like Tom Sawyer convincing people how fun it is to paint a fence, sometimes while he sat back and watched. For whatever dumb reason, he had a way to draw people to him just because they wanted be part of his vision of making ballooning an affordable sport. He wanted ballooning to attract young people. And we bought into that dream as well. When I first met Andy, someone said “he’s the most lovable train wreck you’ll ever meet”, and boy were they right. And for some dumb reason, his real friends were drawn to him and passionate about keeping him and his dream moving on track.

And while we did a lot for Andy, he did a lot for us as well. I’ve called Andy at 1am when the bottom fell out of my world and he talked me back into having hope and believing. Thing didn’t seem quite as bad after talking to him. We’ve called with questions, dreams, good news and bad, and he always talked or called us back (except when he owed us money, lol, but he always came through). We’ve supported his ideas emotionally, financially, technically, and passionately. We’ve stood up for Andy when people tried to tear him down. We’ve given him input, helped him write tough text messages, gave him advice on handling difficult people, calmed him down and stirred him up. I love that Andy pushed Greg and me to take risks and step outside of our comfort zones. He taught us to trust our flying abilities as pilots and he made us better pilots. Andy was there when I became a pilot preparing me for my orals and my check ride with Beth and giving me the confidence I needed. I will remember all the time we spent in both of his Albuqueque shops as well as his Indiana shop. We met many he recruited into his army of supporters. We’ve watch people come and go in Andy’s life, but each one shared his passion and loved him while they were there.

I’ll miss his calls where he would get Greg excited to do some crazy building project in the hanger or come fly for a few weeks and he would convince me why it was a good idea for him to go. I knew he and Greg had a special relationship and spending that time together was important and worth my sacrifice. My most special memory will be when he and Adam stayed in our home last December and flew with seven other pilots in our small friends get together. That and in León were the only places I’ve seen Andy slow down and just relax and have fun for several day. He told the infamous ostrich at both places displaying his mastery storytelling skills. He made people laugh as he modeled his balloon pajamas. And of course he had to bend the winds and show Greg he could land in the driveway of our house.

The choices we make in life can change our path bringing people into our lives and sometimes taking them back out of our life altogether. What you hope is that somehow the impact they have on us also changes us. I know I am a better person because of the impact Andy had in our lives. I watched him model true friendship, compassion, non-confrontational determination, and a zest to push himself and others to new heights.

Last year while at the house sitting outside by the fire, Andy leaned over to Greg and said, “Hey Greggie, can we do this again next year?” That led to us creating an actual New Years rally this year that Andy was really looking forward to attending. During our event, Andy will be flying high with us as we fly a tribute flight to Andy honoring his friendship, the spirit of Adam’s Balloons and his push once again to encourage us to step out of our comfort zone and create an event for more people to enjoy.

Our hearts are broken, and though we will have wonderful memories we will alway cherish, we will forever miss having Andy in our daily lives saying “Greggie…..Whatcha doin’”

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- Susan and Greg Lindsey