Class: 1972
Major: Psychology
Residence: Escondido, CA
Deceased: December 20, 2010
Alumni survivors: Charles W. Andres, M.D. ’74 (Sibling)
Robert Alfred Andres D.D.S. “Cowboy” died peacefully with the love of his life at his side, after a long battle with lymphoma and heart disease. He was born November 29, 1949, to Betty and William Andres in West Union, Iowa. He married Jilayne Mary Leonard, on February 15, 1996, in Las Vegas. He graduated from Edina High School and Carleton College where he received a Bachelor of Arts, the University of Minnesota Dental School, where he received a Doctor of Dental Science, and completed a fellowship in genetics at the University of Indiana. He joined the U.S. Navy, where he was a Lieutenant Commander and served in Okinawa as a dentist. He was a charismatic man with a gentle soul, and embraced life and all that it had to offer. He was a visionary who spent his time recently exploring ways to make this a better world, but couldn’t complete his project due to his untimely death. Family was so important to him, and he had a way of making each and everyone feel special, appreciating the connection he had established. He knew no strangers as they were friends he hadn’t met. Born in Iowa, he valued his roots and always felt connected to his place of birth. He wanted to return and keep alive that strong need to be connected there, helping to establish for everyone, renewed interest in the community. In his spare time, he had a passion for music and all the enjoyment it brought to him. His appreciation for music, kept him involved in attending a yearly Jazz camp and playing in a local jazz band. He enjoyed his Apple computer and the gadgets Apple created thus acquiring a vast collection throughout the years. Also, he enjoyed working with photos and movies, sharing his creativity and great sense of humor, by producing unique and artistic graphic designs, and for recreation, cowboy was an avid soccer player and fan. He is survived by his loving wife and life partner, Jilayne, his mother, Betty Andres, Bonita Beach, Florida, two brothers, Dr. Charles (Janet) Brainerd, MN, Richard (Chris), Medina, MN. Though he did not have children of his own, he deeply loved his nieces and nephews, Stephanie Andres, Michael Andres, Boulder, CO, Steven Andres, Bradley Andres, and Emily Andres, Minneapolis, MN. He also is survived by three loving and faithful companions, his dog Toeloop, and two cats, Bingo and Burt. He was preceded in death by his father, William Andres, his grandparents, Alfred and Eva Andres, Sophie Green and Walter Follett.
Comments
I met Bob Andres my freshman year at Carleton. Beneath an initially quiet and somewhat restrained appearance lay an imaginative, humorous person that emerged during his freshman and later years at Carleton. Cowboy Bob, as he became known among his friends, had an inventive and an artistic side. He played horn and had interests in graphic art. His sense of humor could be ironic and at times bordered on the surreal. He was inquisitive and was interested in personal computers in their earliest development. He once discussed using electroencephalography for therapeutic ends to enable the brain. His wide ranging interests eventually led to degrees in dentistry and human genetics. His generosity and warmth shown through and he was a pleasure to be with when we last met in California where he lived with his wife Jilayne.