from Jim Williamson
- there are also nice comments from Jim Flanagan and others on the www.fastpitchwest.com website
- For Jack’s obituary click here Jack Andreas Obit 9-07-11
Jake (Jack) “The Stat Man” Andreas passed away peacefully Friday night Sept 2, 2011 at the Landmark Nursing home in Yakima, WA. Jake left his job at Irwin Manufacturing Co this summer due to intense 24/7 back pain. X-rays and L&I doctors could not find the cause. One day as Jake stood up in his house, his leg collapsed under him. He was rushed to the hospital where a cat scan and MRI revealed a large tumor on his lung that had spread to his back. A 5 hour life-saving operation on his back kept Jack with us. Shortly afterwards, Jake was transferred to the Landmark Nursing Home where his sister worked and which was close to the Cancer Treatment Center. Radiation and Chemotherapy treatments were begun and Jake responded fairly well. A big event with photos and the doling out of memorabilia was Jake losing his famous “Randy Johnson” shoulder length hair. Jake handled the ordeal very well and remained in positive spirits. He hung a sign in his room that read “No Pity Party Here”. In the last couple of days, Jake lost the battle and finally moved on to play shortstop with the big coach in the sky. Jake considered himself as having had a successful softball career. Early in his career he gained a World Championship ring as a member of the Seattle Hobnobber’s World Championship team. In his last game in 2010, Jake gained All-World honors at the NAFA Masters 45-OVER World Series in Carson City. Jake started with JRW & Associates in 1979 and played on the 18-Under team who finished 5th in their first Nationals in Billings, Montana. After some time in Seattle, Jake returned to accumulate over 25 years with the JRW team. It was amusing that Jake was at shortstop in every JRW game that went 12 innings or more until this year when the JRW team went 12 innings without our famous shortstop. The jinx was finally erased. We did not realize how many friends Jake had accumulated in his lifetime until we let out the news of his very serious sickness. Jake will be remembered well.