The Willcoxs Need Us Now More Than Ever

No parent should ever have to write an obituary. No family, no friends, no teammates should ever have to read one—especially for someone they deeply love.

Andrew Willcox wasn’t just another kid. He was THAT kid—the one everyone loved to be around. The one whose quiet presence brought comfort, and whose unexpected wit could light up a room.

This excerpt captures him perfectly:

“Andrew was a bright light in the lives of everyone who knew him. A gentle giant—tall in stature, but even bigger in heart. Quiet by nature, he carried a deep kindness that made everyone around him feel safe, seen, and accepted. Though soft-spoken, he had a playful spirit and a razor-sharp sense of humor. If Andrew liked you, you'd know it—because his best jokes and warmest smiles were always saved for the people he loved most.”

His passing was sudden and completely unexpected. One day, Andrew was at the beach… and the next, he was gone—into the arms of Jesus. There are no answers that make sense to our hearts. There was no accident, no self-harm, no medical explanation—his heart and mind were sound. As his mom, Laurie, has said with profound faith,

“I have to trust God. I have to trust His timing. He and His timing are perfect—even when I don’t understand it.”

But heartbreak didn’t stop there.

Laurie is currently in the fight of her life, undergoing treatment for returning cancer. Chemotherapy. Nausea. Fatigue. Pain. Uncertainty. And yet—faith.

Andrew’s brother, Grandin, is navigating life as a full-time college student-athlete while carrying unimaginable grief.

Dan, Andrew’s dad—some of you may know him as “Dan the Bob Ross Painter Man ”—has been trying to hold everything together. Holding grief in one hand and strength in the other.

The Willcox family is a rare kind of beautiful. The kind that shows up—birthdays, hospital visits, funerals, just because. They don’t ask for anything. But now, they need us.

This GoFundMe is a small way we can show up BIG for them. To give back a measure of the love they’ve so freely poured out to others. To help them stay afloat during this unthinkable time.

If you’ve ever been touched by their kindness, their laughter, or their faith—please consider helping.

With deepest gratitude,

Thank you