Andrew Hood

Andrew Hood, age 29, of Highland Park, New Jersey, passed unexpectedly on December 1, 2023.

Andrew was born January 13, 1994 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to his loving parents Colette and Tim. In a tender moment captured on home video that summer, his older sister Amanda said that his birth was the best thing that had happened the whole year.

After moving to New Jersey, he grew very close to his grandma Eugenia with whom he spent many joyful hours architecting worlds out of Lego and train sets. Summer days were filled with happy times playing in the backyard or in the pool with his sister, extended family, and close friends. In 1998 and 1999 respectively, his sister Olivia and brother Nicholas were born. One of his proudest memories was of saving Nicholas when he was struggling to swim in the pool. He also graciously gave up his grandma’s peanut butter cookies out of consideration for his little brother’s allergies.

Throughout his teenage and adult years, Andrew found joy and camaraderie in the realms of science fiction and fantasy. He shared his family’s love of Star Trek, which sparked meaningful conversation and connected the family through shared perspectives and inside jokes. In fact, he was such a devoted fan from a young age that he asked if his baby brother could be named Riker! His enthusiasm for the works of J.R.R. Tolkien—as well as for the noted film trilogy adaptation—including the extensive lore of Middle-earth literature, was equally profound.

Andrew also had a lifelong passion for strategy games and enjoyed playing board games with his family. When Hurricane Sandy disrupted the power for almost two weeks, the silver lining was that they got to spend so much time having fun together playing games. His sister Amanda also recalls with affection the online chess matches they played while she was away at college. A dedicated player of team-based games online, Andrew considered the friends he met this way to be kindred spirits.

Most recently in his adult life, Andrew had started a new line of work and received a promotion, and was building his skills in preparation for further advancement. He had also recently spoken of wanting to try new things and have new experiences, and was planning for a trip to the deserts of the southwest.

Though it had been some time since Andrew and his family ventured out together, they will cherish the memories of trips to Bushkill Falls, the corn maze at Howell Living History Farm, and the beach, among others.

Andrew’s life and character were on a continual upward trajectory, something for which his loving family takes great pride in remembrance. He will be dearly missed.

Please join Andrew's family for a virtual Celebration of Life Ceremony on Saturday, January 6, 2024 at 6:30 PM. For access to the Zoom link, please reach out to Andrew's family.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Andrew's memory to Toys for Tots Click Here to Donate