Dr. James Edward Andrews

COLORS: ROYAL BLUE & WHITE   

OBITUARY

Dr. James E. Andrews was born on August 6, 1943 to Mr. Clemmon and Emma Andrews in Stockton, Alabama. James was the last born of three brothers (Van Lee, Clemmon Jr .and Eddie) and one sister (Bessie) His mother would often tease him saying he was a mistake and should not be here. With his quick wit, he responded back: “I AM THE BEST MISTAKE YOU EVER MADE.” James is the oldest and last surviving member of the Andrews family.

Early in life, James demonstrated a passion for learning about religion and he studied the Bible until his death. He was an avid reader of the Bible, which he did daily. James was first baptized at St. John Baptist Church where he was a Sunday School teacher and sung in the choir. He continued his worship at Calvary Church in Tustin, California and Friendship Baptist Church in Yorba Linda.

James was married to Patricia Rackley in 1968 after his return from serving in Venitam (Army). They met as teenagers, attended college together at Compton College and Cal State Dominguez and were married for over 56 years. From this relationship, they had one daughter (Lisa) and their adopted son (Marcus). He has one grandson (Myles).

James attended and graduated from Douglasville High School, Compton College (AA), California State Dominguez Hills (BA), UCLA (MA) and Nova University (Ed. D.) with honors from each of those institutions. James was an outstanding Psychologist who owned a Private Practice for over thirty years while also being employed as a Psychologist/Professor at Mt. San Antonio College for thirty-two years. He taught Psychology classes at UCLA, Pepperdine, Cal Poly Saddleback, Santa Ana College and Golden West College.

James also served as a Consultant Psychologist for the School Districts of Compton, Pomona, Riverside and Newport (Oregon). He was also a vendor Psychologist for Regional Centers at the Department of Social Security and Department of Rehabilitation. Even after retirement, James consulted with many agencies on a variety of Psychological matters. He resisted many lucrative offers to return to work.

James has written several articles and published three handbooks on Learning Disabilities and Attention Deficit Disorder. James also served as a mentor to several Psychologists and would often give advice to his friends and colleagues. His trademark was a warm smile and an extended hand to help others. However, his greatest enjoyment was not work, but spending time with his family, enjoying the company of his longtime friends, and at social gatherings with his RV family and jet ski buddies. In 2006, James and Pat retired and spent two years traveling. During this period, they traversed all forty-eight states and eight countries before settling down in both Yorba Linda and Florence, Oregon. He resided in Riverside before his death.

James is survived by five nieces (Renata, Rhonda, Edwina, Brenda, Barbara and Felisa), two nephews (Joel and Andre) and one great nephew (Joseph) and many more great nephews and nieces. Equally, he is survived by a host of relatives and friends. James' keen sense of humor, his famous one-liners, and his love for people will be survived by a host of relatives and friends.

What will be missed most of all is some of his quotes that he lived by and passed on to his family.

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