Andrew Fitzpatrick Motherwell of Quesnel, BC passed away peacefully on August 7, 2013 after a brief illness. Andy was born on September 15, 1927 in Killam, Alberta – the 2nd of four boys born to Andrew Thomson Motherwell and Mary Wylie Fitzpatrick. The family moved to Cobble Hill on Vancouver Island when Andy was still a boy. Andy never tired of learning and was always looking for something to do. There was the formal education, Bachelor of Science in Agriculture in 1947 from UBC, the Log Scaling license and Lumber Grading Certificate in 1953, his Teaching Certificate from UBC in 1959, his Master of Education Administration in 1967 from UBC, and finally he earned his Real Estate Agent license in 1983.
Andy came to Quesnel in 1952 at the age of 25 intending to stay one winter. He’d found employment as a logging truck driver for Joe Garner. The various aspects of the logging industry got his attention and he was hooked. He became a sawmill foreman in 1953, a log buyer in 1954 and then owned and operated Little Zipper sawmills recently publishing a book on those formative years in Quesnel.
From there he moved into the education arena teaching agriculture from 1954-1957. Many will remember him as the principal of Cariboo secondary school from 1965 to 1979. When the school burnt down, Andy was relocated to Quesnel junior secondary as their vice-principal. Teaching had lost its appeal, though, and he resigned in June of 1981 setting his sights on the real estate industry. He’d had a bit of a taste of community development with his stint as a Director with the Cariboo Regional District from 1975 to 1981 and Andy was always one to explore the possibilities.
He sold real estate from 1981 until 1992 jumping in with both feet in 1983 by becoming a Real Estate Owner/Partner with Prism Realty. But the draw of serving his community was never far from his mind and in 1990 he became Director for Area B yet again and served in that capacity for the next 15 years. Some of his accomplishments included starting the conversation regarding mutual aide between the various volunteer fire departments, advocating and succeeding in obtaining Crown Land on which to build a community center and Fire Hall at 10 Mile, just to name a few.
Andy was passionate about the environment and history. His “Historical Footnotes” were a popular feature in this newspaper. He travelled the length of the Fraser River and most of its tributaries exploring, canoeing, hunting and following historical routes such as the Giscome Portage, the Mackenzie Grease Trail, the Telegraph Trail, the Claymine Trail and the Bowron Chain. He had so many stories and adventures that never made it into print.
In the end, regardless of what Andy spent the day doing for the community, he always went home to his beloved farm – 75 acres on the Blackwater Road. Andy is survived by his wife Carol, his daughter Lark (son-in-law Richard Wittig), his older brother John Motherwell of Victoria, BC, three step-sons: Douglas (Melody), Kevin, and Jimmy (Katie) Skiba, and six grandchildren. If you wish to donate to a cause Andy was passionate about, please consider donating to the Friends of the Museum specifically for the “new building fund”; or to the The Quesnel & District Hospice Palliative Care Association.
The family will be hosting
“A visit with Andy” on
Sunday, September 8 from 1-4 pm
at the Bouchie Lake Hall.
Please bring your memories to share with family and friends.