Stories
Dear Andrew,
It’s so hard to think that you are gone. You weren’t supposed to die this young….It’s not fair. I was so mad at you when I found out. Why Andrew? Why would you do this? So many people love you, so much. You came to my annual Christmas party every year and that means so much to me. Do you remember when you wore Erika’s shirt…..that was so funny? We have been friends since we were 14, before we drank, before we were able to drive, when we didn’t need anything to have fun. I miss those times…..I miss you. Every time I would hug you it would make me feel better, I regret never telling you that……I regret not telling you how much you meant to me. The fun times we had at Kelly’s cabin, I’m pretty sure one of the times I accidentally hit you in the head with your car door…..oops. But we had a good laugh about it. Do you remember the time when you took Mergatroid from my room and placed him outside my window just to scare the hell out of Kelly? And it worked! Or how about the time we were at the cabin and a storm came, and the next thing we know the dock is being ripped apart and the canoe is missing.
Oh Andrew, we had some good times didn’t we…I just can’t believe that you’re gone. But I know that you’ll still be right here with all of us. I’m not mad anymore, I just feel like I could’ve done more for you….maybe if I told you how much you mean to me, how much you mean to everyone. Damn it Andrew….why? I had left you a couple of messages about this years Christmas party, I wanted you to come. I know in my heart that you are happy now, and maybe I’m just being selfish, but I wish you were still here. You made my happy, I have always been so damn proud to call you my friend. I always thought you would be here for all the years to come, and all the fun times to be had, I lost a good friend. You are a wonderful person, and I know that you’ll be watching over all of us. I will see you again one day, and when that day comes I am going to give you the biggest hug ever, and finally tell you face to face how I feel about you, and how much your friendship means to me. Thank-you Andrew for everything, you’ve made a world of difference without even trying. Thanks for always being yourself, and for your friendship despite my many flaws. I miss you, and I will never forget you, or the good times we shared.
Love Always and Forever,
Dawn McCaskell
Hey Andrew,
I am writing a letter to you because you’re gone and I can’t talk to you anymore. Wow, I hadn’t seen you in such a short time, but there is so much I want to tell you. This just doesn’t feel right, you are not supposed to die when you’re 23, it just isn’t right.
Ryan and I are getting married! On August 25, 2007, we were going to invite you, and we know you would have been at the social on May 5th, just before our birthdays! I know that you’ll be there, making sure everything goes ok.
You know I was thinking yesterday about Kelly’s cabin when we video taped the whole weekend and Ryan kept smoking you in the head with the camera. Damn that was funny! That was a good time. We went to the OBB the other night for you. I had a rye for you. I know that there were so many times left that you and Ryan would have drank some JD together. He was telling me how great it was when you guys worked together! Oh man, remember Dawn’s Christmas party 2 years ago? CRAZY! I thought you and Ryan were going to lose it. That was great!
Damn it Andrew, there is so much I want to tell you. I just took for granted that I would see you again. I am going to miss you! I know that Ryan will too. But we will see you again one day, it is never good-bye, just see you soon. I know you will always be here with us.
Love You
Forever and Always,
Kara Kehler and Ryan Kraynyk
Andrew you were a one of a kind guy and you will be missed greatly by all who knew you. I knew you since grade seven and things will not be the same without you. We will all be thinking about you, Dunner!
Troy Zelinsky
Dear Andrew,
Since most of your friends are writing you a letter I thought it would be appropriate if I put my thoughts in a letter to you too. Let’s see, I knew you since you were about 13 or 14, as I started working at the Middle School when you were attending there and we occasionally talked. Even then you were a real nice guy. Later when you went to the High School I was also working there, but other than the “hi” nod now and again, we really didn’t talk.
Although later when you dated my daughter, Lindsay, even though it was only a few months, Tony and I thought it was well over a year, as you always remained such good friends. She was either out with you or you two were here hanging out with Jordan and Lauren and you would end up crashing in the family room. I remember much later when you weren’t hanging out here as much, Jordan would wake up and come upstairs, and he’d ask who was sleeping in the family room and as soon as I said, it’s Andrew, he would relax, because he liked you and felt comfortable with you being here…We all did.
Do you remember spending one Christmas night and Boxing Day at Lindsay’s Auntie’s house with all of us? We played guys against the girls at Pictionary. Of course, the girls always win. You learned how competitive we can all be. We actually scare some people away, but you told Lindsay that you had a good time.
I’d like to thank you very much for being such a good friend to Lindsay. You two would go out for coffee a couple of times a week just to talk. She told me how you guys would talk for hours about life issues. As well, you always took the time to talk to Tony and me every time we saw you, whether it was here or when we were out and about. You were always such a pleasure to talk to.
I know it is you that has been involved in your mother and me becoming good friends and organizing an event to raise money to help others. Again here you are helping others. Every time your mom and I think we hit an obstacle…some miracle occurs and it is fixed. From Robert and your mom giving Jordan your guitar as a thank you gift and them not even knowing that Jord was at your house the day you came home with it about 10 years earlier and he showed you how to play a riff to a song, to being told that we couldn’t have the social, and then it happened, from having a website donated, to having amazing people wanting to be on the board of directors for the Andrew Dunn Foundation, to having a social ticket number that your mother wanted come flying out of the ticket pile, to having my door locks pop up on their own while we were in my parked van talking about you, to worrying about a sound system and having someone call us the next day to say, “Do you need me to bring a sound system?” And having Schreimers donate a Manitoba maple tree so we can plant it in your memory and then Cropo saying that they wanted to donate the tree plaque in your memory. You’re so amazing and I don’t doubt for a minute that it is you helping us.
Thank you Andrew for everything and thank you for still being there to help others. I know you’ll always be with us, especially on our walks and helping us prepare for each one.
We love and miss you!
Brenda, Tony
Jordan, Lindsay and Justin
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