Andrew G. Lerch

Andrew Gary Lerch was called home to Heaven Thursday, November 20. He told his mom he was tired, that he wanted to rest. He was 43 years old.

Born in Oshkosh on October 15, 1982, to parents Anne (Gartman) and Gary Lerch, Andy was the oldest of three children. He set high bars for his little sisters, Bethany and Erin. Andy married Maria Esther Alcocer Jain of Mexico City in fall 2007. They were blessed with a daughter, Sofia, and a son, Sebastian.

Andy’s affinity for the military came early. His parents gifted him a PBS Civil War documentary with multiple VHS tapes. Andy went on to write a story about the Civil War. He was in fifth grade.

Andy attended Oshkosh West High School where he enjoyed playing football. He also worked as a gas attendant at Service Oil Company in the Town of Algoma. At 16, Andy became a Congressional Page in the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC. He lived and worked on Capitol Hill afterwards, attending George Washington University to finish high school.

Andy was nominated and appointed to the US Military Academy in New York. As a member of the Class of 9/11, he graduated in May 2005. Some of his West Point friends called recently from their 20-year class reunion. It made his day. “They got me out of a lot of jams,” he wrote after talking to them. “I did the same.”

Andy went on to become an armor officer in the Third Infantry Division. He deployed to Iraq in March 2007, returning in May 2008. “Soldiers make the best of things,” he said. “Heating shaving cream in a canteen cup hung on the exhaust of a tank’s turbine engine or heating a can of soup in those same vents. Those were the best meals because you share it with others.” Andy was so proud of the soldiers with whom he served. “We didn’t refer to each other by rank. These are my boys.”

Andy’s platoon witnessed tragedy and experienced suffering. They saved each other over and over again. “I was shot at in the street and would not have a lower left leg unless my Platoon Sergeant, SFC Craig Black, pulled me back into the perimeter by the backstrap of my vest.” Andy’s family suspected he rescued people as well, confirmed by numerous awards that came to light only after his passing: Valorous Unit Award, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Army Achievement Medal (2nd Award), Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Commendation Medal (2nd Award), Joint Service Commendation Medal (3rd Award), Meritorious Service Medal (3rd Award), and the Bronze Star.

Andy was devastated when one of his own was killed or wounded in action. Their losses lived with him and he returned wounded. His injuries were on the inside, though, and he was not the same.

“Soldiers make the best of things.” In his own way, Andy kept trying to do that. Once, in a bright moment back at Fort Benning, he doctored Bethany’s ID to go out. (It didn’t work.) After she turned 21, they went out dancing in Dayton and were among the last to leave. Andy smiled and laughed more at Erin and Tom’s 2018 wedding, singing along to Top Gun songs with all his cousins.

Andy went on to attend the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. There he studied nuclear engineering. Upon graduation, Andy and his family relocated to northern Virginia. He was assigned to the Pentagon, and later the US Space Force.

Andy retired from the US Army in 2024 at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He spent the last year of his career at Tranquility Hall Wounded Warrior Barracks at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. His life was quieter then, first at VA domiciliary care facilities in Milwaukee and Union Grove, then on his own in Oshkosh.

Andy resided on the Fox River and frequented the Food Co-op, usually in his Iraq War Veteran hat. He spent time with his parents and sisters and their dogs. His spirits always lifted when his friends and fellow veterans called and visited, or when his dad took him fishing on Lake Butte des Morts, just like when he was a kid. Andy had tenderness, especially for his mom, who always called, always invited him for a warm meal (or brought multiple), and always showed up with unconditional love.

Andy was an avid baseball fan, too. He liked watching the Brewers and treasured seeing them in-person when he could. He wanted to cheer from seats behind home plate in 2026. He will be there in spirit, to be sure. His friends and family will cheer with him, miss him, and love him—every day.

Andy is survived by his wife, Maria Esther, daughter Sofia, and son Sebastian; his parents Gary and Anne Lerch, and sisters Bethany (Darrell) Rentsch and Erin (Tom) O’Connor; nieces and nephew Ava O’Connor, Julian Rentsch, and Zaria Haseleu. He was preceded in death by his Kentucky rescue dog Eva, grandparents Dorothy and Ronald Gartman and Warren and Margaret Lerch, and members of the Convict Platoon Killed in Action in Iraq: Glenn Dale Hicks, Cole Spencer, and Jay-D H. Ornsby-Adkins.

Andy chose to be cremated. His ceremony will be private. Andy’s family would like to extend their gratitude to the hard-working staff of Walter Reed in Maryland and VA care facilities in Wisconsin, as well as responding personnel from the Oshkosh Police Department and Winnebago County.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Disabled American Veterans (DAV) in Andy’s memory. “Soldiers make the best of things,” he would tell you. “Thanks for letting me bend your ear.”