Honoring a legacy through remembrance, community support, and giving back.

Andrew Joseph Maxey was born in Tyler, Texas on June 8, 1996. Even before Andrew could walk, he would sit in the grass and hit a ball with a plastic club or bat. He had three older brothers, and he was anxious to join them in whiffle ball. Whiffle ball was, and still is, a Maxey family tradition. A ball and bat were even kept in the family Suburban just in case there was an opportunity for a game. It wasn’t long before Andrew was able to join the fun. Sometimes it was just the family; other times the neighborhood kids joined in. The Maxey backyard was called “Maxey Field.” Many, many fun-filled and exciting games were played there.

Andrew played Little League, Dixie Baseball, and travel ball. He loved playing at Walbrook Park, where he threw many a pitch, caught many a pitch, and hit many a baseball. Memories were created that will be cherished by many. Andrew was selected for All-Stars every year that he played. His team won the Louisiana Dixie State Championship two years in a row, going to the World Series. The second year they won second place in the tournament.

High school presented a new playing field for Andrew. He was one of four to be selected for varsity as a freshman, and one of only six freshmen to pitch in the twenty-one years of his coach, Toby Todd. His freshmen team won the pre-season JV Tournament as a freshman only team. Coach Todd described Andrew as “a great kid – friendly, happy, kind-hearted.” Andrew loved every part of baseball, except the running! He was a big guy and not known for his speed! Baseball was Andrew’s life.

While in high school Andrew was named an all-city and all-district pitcher. He graduated from Airline High School in 2015, going on to pitch in the TCS Post-Grad program in Texas. Andrew then decided to join the Marines. He trained diligently to qualify and then headed to Boot Camp at Parris Island, South Carolina. Following Boot Camp, Andrew attended Infantry School, where he earned the rank of Expert Rifleman. When he reported to his assignment at Camp LeJeune, they took one look at his size and assigned him to the big weapons … a machine gunner. He was commonly known as one of the best machine gunners in the battalion. He was often found behind a heavy machine gun, imparting wisdom to his subordinates or refining his craft.

Andrew, known as Maxey by his friends, teammates, and fellow Marines, was described as having a bigger-than-life personality. He is fondly remembered as outgoing and funny with his sharp sense of humor. He was said to be fun-loving and able to lighten tension and put people at ease, making hard situations or bad days, not so bad. Mostly, whether to his team, friends, family, or country, he was fiercely loyal. But most importantly, Andrew was a Christian.

One Marine spoke of Andrew as always being right there. “When we were on a training mission, I looked to my right and Maxey was there. When we were sleeping under the stars, I looked to my right and Maxey was there. Wherever we were, Andrew was right there beside me. Exhausted after a long hike, I would look to my right and Maxey was there. No matter what the situation, the mission, or the assignment, I looked to my right and Maxey was there.”

Andrew was married in September of 2020 to Christine Ogrodnik. While their time together was short, their love for each other was strong, Andrew became ill in November and was sent to Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. He was diagnosed with a serious autoimmune blood cancer (HLH) non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and a serious fungal infection in the lungs. Andrew fought very hard and kept a positive outlook. He never complained and was appreciative of his large team of doctors. On December 23, 2020, Andrew, surrounded by family, passed away from complications related to his illnesses. He was buried with full military honors.