The world was made a better place when Andrew John Viale was born June 23, 1944.  In his 78 years, he has brought joy, light, inspiration and kindness to all those he has come in contact with.  Andy was born in San Francisco to Eleanor and Bartholomew (Batto) Viale.  He is predeceased by his parents and his brother Phil (Rae).  He is survived by his wife, Lynn, sons Jeff, Ken (Raquel), and Drew (Yolie), and two grandchildren, Kaden and Vincent, along with beloved nieces and nephews and grand-nieces and nephews.

Andy and Lynn married on September 22, 1979 and lived in Belmont.  They moved to Gilroy in 1983, and in this community, they have raised their family and made many deep and lasting friendships.  Andy was the coordinator of Health Ministries at Gilroy Presbyterian Church.  He organized an annual health fair, facilitated monthly health events for the church, and did fundraisers with sock hops, New Year's Eve parties, and golf tournaments, which supported health ministries and paid for a van for the church.  He also started men's support groups which are still active today.  He coordinated the annual Faith Renewal dinner with a gourmet dinner and program for nearly two decades. For several years, he volunteered at the Watsonville Presbyterian Church in the hospitality ministry, served as an elder on Session and participated in feeding the homeless.

Andy spent 33 years working for Harris Ranch Beef Company. He went with his son Drew and friends (most often Sam Bozzo) to the plant every Christmas and cooked tortellini soup for all the workers for 27 years.  He developed lasting friendships with his coworkers there.

He and his wife Lynn catered for several years and from this (and the barbecues he did for Harris Ranch) came the idea for Andy's Rub.  Starting as a small company selling to a few local stores, they grew the business to become a nationally known brand.

Andy and Lynn enjoyed traveling, gardening, cooking, hosting parties and the quiet of their back yard. One of Andy's most fun accomplishments was creating the Garlic Centipede.  These 27 runners opened the gates to the Garlic Festival, ran in the Garlic Run and Bay to Breakers, and even had their moment of fame when they were introduced on the field at a Giants game.

Andy dealt with serious illness from the time he was 40 and was diagnosed with a major heart condition.  He showed incredible strength in fighting through his illness with grace and joy.

The essence of Andy was to find joy in all that he did and all that he endured, to serve others with compassion and love, to be the person at the party that everyone wanted to hang out with, to deepen his faith through his years of study and church service, and to move through life with a light step and a heart full of love.

A memorial service will be held at Gilroy Presbyterian Church on September 17 at 11:00 a.m. with reception following in the Fellowship Center.

If you desire, you may make donations to Gilroy Presbyterian Church or St. Joseph's Family Center, Gilroy.