Ex-Friends of Bend director dies at 65

Shelley Andrews
Shelley Andrews
photo Shelley Andrews

Shelley Andrews, retired executive director of the Friends of Moccasin Bend, died Tuesday in her native state of California. She was 65.

Andrews, a former resident of Signal Mountain, retired from the Friends group last fall after 11 years of service.

Kay Parish, a board member of Friends of Moccasin Bend and former executive director of Friends of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Park, said she and Andrews worked together as executive directors and became close friends over the years.

"She got to be kind of a sister," Parish said. "I'm going to miss her a lot."

Parish said Andrews helped broaden her understanding about how the National Park System works, and both continually worked to overlap their organizations and encourage each other's work.

"[Andrews] was very opinionated, but in a way that was never offensive," Parish said. "She was a joy to work with, and also just a joy to be around."

Bob Doak, president and CEO of the Chattanooga Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and a board member of Friends of Moccasin Bend, said Andrews should be described and remembered as passionate.

"Her [passion] came out every day, as she was out trying to make a difference at Moccasin Bend," he said. "Yes, it was a job, but it went so far beyond a paycheck."

Doak said Andrews' name will forever be etched on the land at Moccasin Bend, and she will always be remembered for her smile, which continued to shine throughout her battle with cancer.

Michael Wurzel, the current executive director of Friends of Moccasin Bend, said in a statement, "[Andrews] would not want us to waver in our mission to preserve the Moccasin Bend National Archeological District."

Wurzel said one of Andrews' greatest accomplishments while at Friends was to open the Brown's Ferry Federal Road to public use. He said that commemorates not only the Trail of Tears and Civil War history, but also Andrews' enduring work as an advocate for Friends, the National Park Service and American Indian tribes from 2003 to 2014.

A memorial service will be held Feb. 14 at St. Paul's Episcopal Church at 11 a.m., followed by a reception in the church's Key-Andrews Hall. The family asks that memorial donations be made to Friends of Moccasin Bend.

Contact staff writer Kendi Anderson at kendi.anderson@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6592.

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