Andree Julia Olbrechts

Andree Julia Olbrechts, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and friend was born in Belgium in 1934. She leaves behind her husband of 60 years, Guy Olbrechts, three children and four grandchildren. Andree was born the fourth child of a family of seven. Her father was the CEO of a gas utility company in Leuven, Belgium. As a young child, she grew up in Belgium during World War II. More than once she had to run for cover under attack of German rockets. Andree became fond of dancing, and very much enjoyed taking lessons and going out with her sister Marie Louise to local dances. She loved 1950's music and liked to listen to it while she sewed and worked on puzzles. At an early age, Andree developed a passion for fashion and had a strong sense of style. She studied at a fashion design school in Brussels and began working as a designer and seamstress. This talent served her well throughout her life, as she had a successful business creating clothing and doing seamstress work for many customers in Belgium and the US, including wedding dresses and special occasion designs. Andree met her husband Guy in Leuven while he was an engineering student in the nineteen fifties and m...[more]

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ied him in 1961. They moved to Mol where they lived in the stimulating environment of the Belgian nuclear research center. Philippe was born in 1962 and Ingrid in 1966. In 1967 Guy acquired a job at Boeing. Andree, Guy, Philippe and Ingrid then moved to Bellevue, Washington where Andree began a new adventure learning a new language and integrating into a new culture. Andree eventually became a US citizen and was very passionate about her political beliefs. She infused fun and energy to all her family gatherings and parties with her big smile, warm laugh and provocative comments. She had strong opinions about politics and religion and wasn't afraid to share them with anyone, which created many memorable moments. During her years living in Washington state Andree made many friends and enjoyed life in the US. In 1970, while living in her new house by Lake Sammamish, she had her third child, Dominique. She moved to Arizona in 1999. She was very proud of the dream house she built in Scottsdale under her close supervision and enjoyed the view of Camelback Mountain while sitting on her patio. She loved the sun and warm weather. Here she enjoyed once again many friends in an international club in Scottsdale, as well as exploring Europe and South America on cruises. For those unable to attend, the service will be live-streamed at the following link: https://vimeo.com/726491296