He was born on April 10, 1955 in Canton to Rudy and Linda (Ashby) Sepich. They preceded him in death. He married Ruth Schnepper on October 6, 1990. She survives.
Also surviving are his children, Andrew Sepich Jr of Peoria, Brian (Casey) Sepich of El Paso, five grandchildren, Shelby (Jake) Williams, Rudy Sepich, Lauren Sepich, Harrison Sepich, Addison Sepich, one great grandson, Theodore, brothers, David “Catt” (Linda) Sepich of Canton, Paul (Annette) Sepich of Canton, Bill Sepich of Scottsdale, AZ, sisters, Melanie Sepich of Canton, Toni Dillefield of Canton, and Judie (Dan) Thompson of Jacksonville, IL. Preceding him in death in addition to his parents was his brother in-law Paul Dillefeld.
Andy was employed as an ice cream driver by Senn-Soldwedel in Canton, then as a milkman for 31 years at Prairie Farms Dairy before retiring in 2004. While at Prairie Farms, Andy served six years as Union Steward for the Teamsters’ Union. After retiring, he later was employed part time by Hertz Car Rental and Broad Branch Farm.
He was a member of St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Peoria where Andy dedicated many hours volunteering at fish fries and their annual chicken and noodle dinner. He was also an active member of the Peoria German American Society Harmonie affiliate where he held the positions of President and Recording Secretary for many years.
Andy was a 50 year member of Croatian Fraternal Union Sacred Heart Lodge 367 in Canton, IL where he served in numerous officer positions. Andy was proud of his Croatian heritage and worked tirelessly to preserve the culture within the Canton community. One of his proudest accomplishments was securing Canton as a stop on the CFU Cultural tour where, for the last 25 years the CFU Home office has brought a Croatian Tamburitza group to play traditional Croatian music at Lodge 367’s annual sarma dinner in August. Andy was also very involved at the national level serving as an elected National Board Member for the last 12 years.
Officiating High School Football was a 45 year passion for Andy. He worked with many crews over the years, enjoying the camaraderie shared on road trips as well as within the officiating community. He was honored to have spent the last 10+ years with his current crew and was proud to have officiated 2 Illinois State Championship games with them. He also officiated High School Wrestling, enjoyed hitting the links with friends and family, and following sports at all levels.
He was known by many for his Sepich genealogy work which he willingly shared but was best known for his baking skills. He devotedly baked the traditional Croatian nut roll, povitica, at Christmas and other special occasions for a large clientele of friends and family.
The family would like to sincerely thank the doctors, nurses, and aids at St. Francis Hospital, Illinois Cancer Care, and the Richard Owens Hospice home for the skilled, loving, and compassionate care extended to Andy since his pancreatic cancer diagnosis in October, 2022.
A visitation will be held on Friday, January 27, 2023 at Oaks-Hines Funeral Home in Canton from 3-6 with a recitation of the Rosary at 6pm. A funeral Mass will be on Saturday, January 28, 2023 at 10 am at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Canton. Burial of the ashes will follow in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Canton. Memorials can be made to Croatian Fraternal Union Scholarship Foundation, ATTN: Ed Pazo President, 100 Delaney Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15235 and/or the American Cancer Society.
To leave online condolences, please visit www.oakshinesfuneralhome.com
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