Andrea Gurdon, also known as the Breyer History Diva, passed away after a brief fight with cancer on Saturday, February 17, 2024. Her family posted a note on her blog that she went peacefully in her sleep and that she had family with her when she went.
A fellow blogger, Andrea's Breyer History Diva blog was popular with collectors and over time she published 1,820 blog posts that were not only chock full of hobby history, but were often sprinkled with her sense of humor and wit, too.
Last November she began mentioning that she was not feeling well. She was struggling with insomnia and back pain, and nothing seemed to help despite consulting with medical professionals. On December 16 she wrote that she was "sick of being sick" and added gastrointestinal issues to her list of things that made her feel unwell.
In January she wrote of having debilitating pain and being unable to eat, and then inserted that dry wit that she had and noted that her jeans were fitting again.
Andrea shared in her next post that she had been admitted to the hospital for testing. She was able to go home briefly after that, but she soon returned to the hospital, writing one last blog post before she did.
It was in her second to the last blog post titled Back Again that Andrea mentioned that she would be celebrating her 50th anniversary of collecting this year and that she had been looking forward to celebrating "with yellow cake with gold frosting and maybe a Traditional Man O' War on top."
Andrea, Kelsey, Me, Steff, Jamie, and Liz Cory.
Rest in peace, Andrea. And thank you for all you did for our hobby. You will be missed.
As usual, Lynn, what a beautiful tribute to a wonderful person and friend!
ReplyDeleteI am heartbroken to hear of her loss as I, too, had known her for several years!
I first met Andrea @Marney Walerius ' Congress (where we were room mates @ one time!) Whenever I could attend Breyerfest, I would always look for her as she was a volunteer and we'd have a great time reminiscing!
Breyerfest isn't going to seem the same this year without her input on her blog and her annual newsletter-The Morning Sampler.
Did you know that she was quite the artist back in the day when rep/rem. were the rage?? I still own 4 or 5 of her SM's(and actually believe 1 or 2 of them could be competitive even in today's show ring!)
Good bye for now Andrea! May you be at peace and rest at last! I'm glad that you're no longer in pain!
My deepest condolences for her family and friends and for all those who were touched by her life!
Thank you Lynn for posting this beautiful post. The cake with man o war will be an excellent tribute during BF week. Rest easy Andrea and thank you for the light you shared.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to seeing that cake, as it is something beyond my means & skills to do up properly but which I desperately wish to see done! Thank you. Andrea was my oldest hobby friend & a grand delight; there are going to be a lot of strange moments at BreyerFest this year without her & I will definitely have to carry tissues with me.
ReplyDeleteWhat a brilliant idea Lynn! So worthy of both of you. The blogiverse is not going to be the same without her. I am still stunned. I often met her at BFest and we swapped tales and info. Last July I gave her a horse. Along with everything else I am really going to miss her unique sense of humour.
ReplyDeleteI went to my first Breyerfest in 2022 and was able to meet Andrea briefly. She was high on my list. Her blog has been such a constant and I'm so sad for those who knew her well. I hope her collection of historical documents is rehomed to someone who appreciates it.
ReplyDeleteBetsy in WI
I'm so sad to hear this. I'm not much of a blog reader, but sometimes I read yours and hers in the middle of the night on my cell phone. I have had insomnia for years. I tried hard to think if I knew or met her in my teens or twenties, or ever sold her mohair, but I just can't. Some names stuck with me from those days and some didn't. But it sounds like she was important to many in the hobby. I hate cancer. I hate how it can take some quickly, like my aunt last month, and my uncle. My cousin it took ten years to kill, and her sister has been at stage 4 for a few years now.
ReplyDeleteDear Lynn, What a lovely tribute to Andrea.
ReplyDeleteI've never been to Breyerfest so I never had the pleasure of meeting Andrea in person but I felt I 'knew' her from reading her blog.
I suspect that the hobby at large will not only miss the special person/friend she was but we will all miss her wit, humor and vast knowledge that she generously shared with us all.