Bob Junior Andrews was born on Christmas Day, December 25, 1947, to the late Ridgeway and Thelma Andrews in New Brockton, Alabama as the youngest of eight children. He is preceded in death by five siblings—Mary Nell, Gracie, Mary Lois, Audrey, and O.D. His mother passed when he was young, so Bob and his close nephew Roy were mostly raised by his sisters. As the sisters left home, his Aunt Mattie made sure that they went to school each day, even if it meant calling the police to ensure they didn’t play hooky together. These early experiences likely inspired his eventual path into the education field. After graduating from Warren Smith High School in 1967, he traveled off to Birmingham to attend Daniel Payne College.

In college, he enjoyed playing on the basketball team and driving the bus for the school choir. During his freshman year, destiny called when Juanita Curry, a sophomore, saw him in a music class and wrote him a note asking, “Can I talk to you?” He smiled at her and they began a courtship that would endure for nearly 50 years, especially since Juanita’s first job coincidentally placed her in Coffee County. After he obtained a bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 1971, Bob returned home to begin a lifelong career in education.

He began at New Hope School as a fourth-grade teacher and obtained a master’s degree in education administration and supervision from Troy State University in 1977. Then, he became the first Black principal appointed in the Coffee County school system after integration when he took the helm at New Hope School in 1977. He transferred to Zion Chapel High School in 1984 to serve as assistant principal before moving to Zion Chapel Elementary School to serve as principal from 1992-2002. Having the opportunity to return to his hometown, he became principal of New Brockton Elementary School and served until retirement in June 2007.

 Outside of his career, he was a dutiful member of his family church, Poplar Springs Missionary Baptist Church. He served as a Deacon, Treasurer, Chairman of the Finance Committee, member of the Benevolent Ministry and Male Chorus, and volunteer for the food pantry where he especially enjoyed fellowship over a nice breakfast buffet. He also enjoyed fishing, watching John Wayne movies and Western dramas such as Gunsmoke and The Big Valley, attending his sons’ ball games, and spending time with family and friends over food and stories.

Bob is survived by Juanita, his wife  of 45 years. He leaves four sons to cherish his memory—Anthony King (Lisa), Broderick (Erika), Derrick (Erica), and Cedrick. He is also survived by three special grandchildren—A.J. King, Bryce Jordan Andrews, and Avery Simone Andrews; two sisters, Qubie Rowe (Ulysses) and Joan Mitchell; a father-in-law, Fletcher Curry, and two sisters-in-law, Annie L. Stone and Mary Grimes; and a host of beloved nephews, nieces, and cousins.

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