Andrew Daniel Tymchuk

Andrew Daniel Tymchuk of Lawrenceville, Ga., passed away on January 5, 2025, three days after his 84th birthday.

Mr. Tymchuk was born on Jan. 2, 1941, in Beniova, a small village outside of Stryi in western Ukraine. He lived a tough life of survival during World War II after his father was taken by Nazis in 1944 and sent to a prison work camp in southern Germany. Believing his father had died, Andrew’s mother sent him to a military boarding school in Odessa, where his speed shone on the school’s track team.  In 1957, thanks to Radio Free Europe, Andrew’s mother received news via Ukrainian priests that her husband had indeed survived the war and had been transported to the United States after American troops liberated his work camp.  Andrew’s mother made her way to the Polish border and eventually to America three years later with Andrew, his two sisters, and brother.  In 1960, 19-year-old Andrew and his family entered the United States through Canada and were reunited with his father in Buffalo, New York.  A few years later, good fortune would take his family to New York City where he would meet his future bride, Ella, while she was visiting from Poland thanks to the gratefulness of a Jewish family her parents had hidden from the Nazis during the War.  Realizing the gem he had found, Andrew married Ella before her three-month visa expired. That was the beginning of their 49-year love story.

Andrew and Ella moved to Georgia with their four sons in 1972 and raised their family in Gainesville. They were faithful members of St. Michael Catholic Church and loved to cheer on their four boys from the sidelines and stands at North Hall High School. Andrew was a Boy Scout leader and instilled in his sons a love for the outdoors and the North Georgia mountains through countless trips to Helen and the Etowah River. 

Both having completed only the equivalent of high school and some trade school education in Ukraine and Poland, Andrew and Ella were particularly proud of sending all four sons to college, two graduating from Georgia Tech and two from the University of Georgia. In 1996, Andrew and Ella volunteered with the Olympic Games, serving as translators for the Polish and Ukrainian canoe, kayak and rowing teams competing at the Lake Lanier Olympic Venue.  Both Andrew and Ella worked at Lucent Technologies (formerly AT&T and Western Electric), making the daily drive from Gainesville to Norcross for almost 30 years, often working second or third shifts to make extra money and be home for their sons’ activities.  They retired in 2001, moving to Lawrenceville just prior to retirement.  Having lived their entire adult lives in unison, Andrew tragically lost his companion and love of his life in 2013 when Ella died of lung cancer at the vibrant age of 66.

In addition to his wife, Ella, Mr. Tymchuk is preceded in death by his parents, Luba and Roman Tymchuk (spelled Tymczuk in their native Ukraine); brother, Taras, and sister, Oksana. He is survived by his sons and daughters-in-law, Alex and Laurie Tymchuk, of Acworth; Andy and Tina Tymchuk, of Gainesville; Danny and Melissa Tymchuk, of Gainesville; and Eric and Kim Tymchuk, of Dacula; grandchildren, Matthew (and Geraldine), Ashley, Megan (and Ryan) Grigston, Michael (and Emily), Lauren, Michelle, Mary Ella, Mary Eloise, Katherine and Augustin; great-grandchildren, Nora and Annie Grigston; sister, Nadia and numerous nieces and nephews.

Andrew was a bear of a man, known for clearing the family’s backyard beehive bare-chested with just a puff of smoke from his cigar. But his gruff exterior was no match for his tender heart, especially when it came to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His love for his native Ukraine was eclipsed only by his devotion to his newfound home in America. He reminded his sons often that they lived in the most wonderful country in the world.  Having experienced the hardship of war and separation from family, Andrew never took for granted the blessings he found in the United States and the better life he was able to provide for his own children – a true example of the American Dream. While his family mourns his loss – the twitch of his mustache and twinkle of his eye, his own special version of English words and phrases, the perpetual slip of a $20 bill into a pocket “just in case” and an unconditional love that was fierce and loyal – they rejoice that his heart is whole again now that he is reunited with his beloved Ella.

Visitation will be held on Monday, Jan. 13, from 4 to 7 p.m., followed by a funeral service on Tuesday, Jan. 14, at 2 p.m., both at Memorial Park Funeral Home North.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Ella and Andrew Tymchuk Memorial NHHS Scholarship Fund through the North Georgia Community Foundation.