Andrea O. Schick

GARNET VALLEY, Pa. – Andrea O. Schick of Garnet Valley, Pa. died peacefully on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2024 after a sudden and brief battle with cancer. She was 78.

Andrea is survived by her sons and children-in-law, Rabbi Jared H. Saks and Kirk Boettcher of Portland, and Adam and Jodi Roth-Saks of Media, Pa.; as well as her three grandchildren, Cameron, Zachary, and Talia.

Andrea was preceded in death by her parents, Jerome and Gertrude (Singer) Schick; and her sister, Elizabeth (Schick) Thomases.

Andrea, the younger daughter of Gert and Jerry, was born in Newark, N.J. and raised in South Orange, N.J., where she graduated from Columbia High School in 1964. Andrea went on to earn her bachelor’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University in 1968 and later a master’s degree from Boston University.

Andrea applied her education to further the learning of thousands of students over her many decades of teaching. She taught everything from kindergarten through high school, but spent most of her career as a 4th and 5th grade math and science teacher. She always said she loved that age best, “because they were old enough to reason with, but young enough not to have attitude yet.” For much of her career, Andrea taught at Duffy Elementary School in Wharton, N.J.

In retirement, Andrea spent her time fulfilling the true passions of her life: travel, helping others, and, most importantly, spending time with her family. When her sons lived in Minnesota and Maine, Colorado and California, Israel, Mexico, or Peru, Andrea would visit, exploring a new place and her sons’ love for it. With all the places she went – across the United States, throughout Europe, and beyond – her favorite was Antelope Canyon in Arizona.

Any passion of Jared’s or Adam’s became Andrea’s newest interest. She was endlessly supportive of them and was their biggest cheerleader. Becoming a grandmother was Andrea’s greatest joy. She adored her time with Cam, Zak, and Tali, everything from arcades and museums to funny faces and science experiments. Her munchkins were her whole world.

When Andrea wasn’t spending time with her family, she was with friends, often volunteering together to make the world better. Andrea was an avid reader, a regular worshipper, always making new friends and holding the people who mattered most to her close. Andrea supported social justice causes and had a particular passion for addressing hunger, which she did through the Interfaith Food Pantry Network of Morris County, N.J.

Andrea will be missed for her wacky sense of humor, her amazing cooking and baking – especially her inimitable brownies and an apple pie made with seven pounds of apples – and for the love she showered on those closest to her.

A funeral service will be held on Sunday, Dec. 22, at 10 a.m. at Congregation Beth Israel of Media, 542 S. New Middletown Rd., Media, Pa. Shiva will be observed on Sunday and Monday evenings in Media, Pa. and on Thursday in Portland.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the:

Interfaith Food Pantry Network

(https://www.mcifp.org/);

Henry S. Jacobs Camp

(https://jacobscamp.org/); or the

Jewish Relief Agency

(https://jewishrelief.org/)