Andrew "Walker" Beyer passed away Tuesday evening, August 21st at St Marys Hospital, following a fight with pneumonia and a severe lung infection.

Andrew was born in Rochester to parents Les and Elaine Beyer on August 6, 1969, with Down's Syndrome, a congenital heart defect, a form of leukemia, and a life expectancy of a few days. Following that bleak prediction, Andy proceeded to laugh his way through 49 happy and hilarious years.

Andy is survived by his father, Les; sisters, Susan (Al) Lopez of NYC, and Beth (Mike) Nahlovsky of Shakopee; and his three nieces, Mya, Haley and Alicia. He is preceded in death by his mother, a brother, and a sister.

Andy was a proud graduate of John Marshall High School and an even prouder employee of Ability Building Center (ABC) where he trained and worked for over 30 years, earning their prestigious Lowry Award. Andy's talents were most recently deployed to The Olive Garden where he was able to use both skills and his undeniable charm in a job he loved.

Nothing was more important to Andy than his family, and he would meticulously calendar each visit and holiday and then determine all the details. Whether it was a winter wonderland at Beth's house or taking the Big Apple by storm, he wrung every bit of fun out of each moment and roped everyone he could into the adventure. His nieces were his pride and primary accomplices.

Andy was a fun magnet. If you knew him for five minutes you were a friend for life and required to send a birthday card. Card reminders began each year on August 7th. Repercussions for forgetting were severe.

Andy loved badges, letters in the mail, caramel sauce, the Statue of Liberty, housemates Matt and Eric, WWE, superheroes, Post Bulletin obituaries, the Vikings, Twins and NY Yankees, birthdays at Mr. Pizza, burritos at Fiesta, long socks, his movie and CD collection and pop. He was a friend to animals, particularly the family dogs and cats, and enjoyed golf, bowling, pool, arm-wrestling and a good haircut.

Besides all this, Andy was possibly the world's greatest fan of Walker, Texas Ranger.

There was something about this character that he so admired, that he self-declared his name to be "Walker" and no one questioned it.

This month, Andrew Walker Beyer was sworn in at the Company F Headquarters in Waco, TX, as an honorary Texas Ranger.

A Funeral Mass will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 30th in the River Park Chapel with Father Russell Scepaniak officiating. Visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m on Wednesday, August 29th in the River Park Chapel at Macken Funeral Home and one hour prior to the service on Thursday. A luncheon reception will follow.

Donations to ABC are highly encouraged to continue their wonderful work.