Obituary: Andy Fairbairn

Saturday, July 11, 2020 - 3:15pm

Words from CoJMC faculty member, Rick Alloway

Andy Fairbairn was a 1996 BRDC graduate, and served as one of the founding music directors for 90.3 KRNU as we were transitioning to the alternative music format in the early 1990s. He, along with alums Dave Berreth and Michael Svoboda (Michael, who conducts our screenwriting pop-up course), were largely responsible for shaping the musical sound of the station in those years.

 

Andy went on to work in the Lincoln music industry until 2007, booking music for several local venues, and coordinating frequent benefit concerts for KRNU featuring the local musicians the station plays on a regular basis. He spent the past several years working in tech support and data services for Lincoln companies, most recently for Fiserv.

 

He married the love of his life, Kristine Duncan, in late 2018. Their wedding perfectly reflected their shared love of science fiction and fantasy, with guests raising light sabers in tribute to their wedding vows, and a reception featuring hors d’oeuvres and drinks with names referencing Harry Potter and Star Wars. They recently closed on their first house and had just moved in.

 

Andy had a history of heart issues, including a heart attack in his 30s. He suffered another one Saturday morning at home, and was unable to pull through this time. He had a big heart, and was always willing to share it with others. I am so sorry it didn’t hold out longer for him.

 

To get a sense of Andy’s influence and range of friends, one need only go to his Facebook account and scroll through the dozens of heart-felt remembrances posted just since the news broke late this morning.

Obituary via the Grand Island Independent: https://theindependent.com/obituaries/andrew-fairbairn-47/article_dbf7679a-c320-11ea-b379-6b67ba57353a.html

Andy Fairbairn