Dad / Andy Engman: 11/21/1911-07/16/2004 Rest In Peace!

Dad / Andy Engman: 11/21/1911-07/16/2004 Rest In Peace!
At 8:30 pm on Friday July 16th 2004 my dad Andy Engman died peacefully in his sleep at Knolls West Convalescent Hospital in Victorville, CA. He had a long, incredible, full, and complete life.

I just read he won a Motion Picture Screen Cartoonists Golden Award in 1985 for his lifetime contributions to the art of animation. http://us.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/Motion_Picture_Screen_Cartoonists_Awards/1985

Here is the obituary we are putting in the Burbank papers this Sunday August 1st 2004:

Andrew Alfons Engman, "Andy"

Andy Engman was born 11/21/11 in Vasa, Finland. He passed away 7/16/04 inVictorville, CA.

He is preceded in death by his wife of 53 years, Elsie; daughter Andrea; brothers Arnold and Ragnar; sister Milly; and grandson Karl Matthew Kemp.

He is survived by his second wife Anita; Son, Drew (Vicki) Engman; daughters Corinne (Don) Kemp; Elissa Siefert; Drina Hirst; sisters Gladys Vance; Vennen Nygard; brother Charles; 10 grandsons and 7 great grandchildren; many nieces and nephews, And life long friends.

His family writes: Andy immigrated to the the Bronx NY USA at age 15 from Finland. He went to California in 1937 where he began his 35 year career as an animator at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank California. He and Elsie lived on Florence Street (between Magnolia Blvd. & Clark St.) in Burbank for 27 years, where they raised their 5 children. He was involved in the Boy Scouts of America (Leader Troop 115 out of Toluca Lake), Kiwanis (Keynote speaker), and PTA (Lifetime member). He won several awards for his contributions to animation arts as part of the Disney team, and many trophies, plaques, certificates, and other acknowledgements from all the other organizations which he volunteered so much time and creativity towards.

Andy was a kind and gentle man. He had a great artistic talent in animating, sketching, caricaturing, and painting. He entered many local art shows and contests and won numerous awards for his land and seascapes and his unique driftwood art made from found objects along the west coast beaches. Andy was patriotic and always flew the American Flag. In earlier retirement years (1972-1980) he traveled the United States and the world with his wife Elsie. He lived a full, productive, fun life.

There will be a celebration of life memorial service on Saturday, August 21 at 1pm at Andy's home 9976 Mountain Rd. Pinon Hills CA 92372. For directions and details contact Andy's son, Drew Engman (760) 868-3445 E-mail: drew_engman@hotmail.com

Current Mood: okay, but it's getting late and I should go to bed!
Current Music: David Bromberg old solo album with "Chump Blues" & others

Headaches!

Headaches (When you'ld rather not turn the other cheek)

It wasn’t quite freezing and it wasn’t quite midnight
But it felt cold and it was dark.
I was old and needed a spark, and
Nothing came easy and nothing seemed right.

I blamed me, and you, and them,
But truth be told, it’s a little of each.
We all stretch, and we all reach,
Playing that same old game again.

God, sometimes I want to tell her off,
And put them in their place,
But making a scene would be a disgrace,
It’d all end up for naught.

I’m fighting for my soul here,
In case you didn’t notice.
A frost blew in to coat us,
How’d the world turn out so weird?

Wrong is right and right is wrong,
If I don’t agree with them!
Why do I pretend?
This has gone on much too long.

But the answer’s not “Get in their face,”
Any fool could tell you that
A wise man doesn’t tip his hat
Or take steps he can’t retrace.

Like it or not, it’s not our right
To demand a thing from love.
We’ll forgive and pray that that’s enough
And surrender our side of the fight.

Eleventh Hour (An original autobiographical song)

(Think: tribute to our fallen idols and appreciation and love for my family in recovery.)

Eleventh Hour

I'll always miss those magic moments
Stolen in my misspent youth
Nights of almost holy torment
Spent believing lies for truth.

Left in disillusioned ruins
To be played out on guitar
Songs as old as fallen angels
Coming down like shooting stars.

Landing hard on my naive heart
I just assumed my pain was part
Of how I'd have to live my life now
Like a ghost that won't depart.

But in the bright stage lights and barrooms
Turned up loud and stoned as hell
I tried to sing and play my soul out
As if more poison makes you well.

So many years of fog and feedback
Hidden in a mushroom cloud
Lost and left in desolation
To the cheering of the crowd.

Until one day it was over
And I limped away, undone
By all the years of self-indulgence
That I used to think was fun.

Now what's left of me recovers
What I can of all the days
Left to count the cost of choices
And debts I can't repay.

I've learned most things the hard way
Slowly earned back self-respect, for
Once the Grace of God's accepted
What He will, He'll resurrect -

...Now I can live with that.

- Drew Engman