Obituary of Andrew Russell Shailer

Andrew Russell Shailer, 52 of Chatham and formerly Short Hills, passed away Friday, April 10th, 2026 at NYU Langone Hospital in New York.

A funeral mass will be held at Saint Patrick Church in Chatham, New Jersey on Friday, April 24th at 10:00 a.m..

Andrew was born January 30, 1974 at New York Hospital in New York City to David Russell Shailer and Josephine Burr Shailer.  Andrew was born with a congenital heart defect requiring him to undergo open heart surgery at six months old.  He persevered throughout his life despite this hindrance and, as a result, he created his own path and did things in his own way.

Andrew was predeceased by his father David and is survived by his loving mother Josephine; his sister Sarah and her husband Matthew Speace; his niece Josie and nephew Drew Speace; Jasper his beloved companion; and fondly known as Funcle aka Alvin to Keira, Chloe, Mia, Owen, Olive, Andrew and Elle.

Everyone who knew Andrew felt his kindness, humor and warmth, but perhaps his greatest trait was his sheer perseverance.  Having been dealt an incredibly difficult hand through no fault of his own, he battled like a warrior his entire life and never complained once. To have known his love in the face of this adversity was a gift to us all. 

Food was Andrew’s love language, and some of his most cherished times were spent in the kitchen cooking for and with those he loved.  He found his calling on the line in several restaurants in New York and New Jersey including The Blackhorse Tavern, Wolfgang Puck Bistro and the Nordstrom Cafe.  His last position with the Primrose School preparing meals for children gave him much joy and he spoke often of the children who called him “Mr. Andrew”.  He loved to create, to give something to others and was an incredible and gracious host and entertainer.  He made the most amazing Lego and Frozen cupcakes for his niece and nephew’s seventh birthday following up the next year by the tallest rainbow cake you have ever seen then even showed off by doing the “crossover” while having fun at their roller-skating birthday party.  He became an integral part of the Hillside Avenue neighborhood holidays and hosted Mother’s Day dinner one year for all of the Moms.

Andrew was passionate about music and never stopped discovering new artists.  He had a remarkable knack for finding the best bands before anyone else.  His incredible knowledge of music was unmatched, and there were few things he took more pride in than the vast catalogue of albums he accumulated over the years.  His vinyl collection is truly a sight to behold for any rock and roll lover.  He also attended countless shows at historic NYC venues like the Wetlands, Beacon Theater, Radio City Music Hall, Roseland Ballroom and Madison Square Garden.  One of his most memorable was seeing Wilco at the Central Park Summer Stage play “Heavy Metal Drummer” when a shooting star shot across the sky.  Truly magical and we can never hear that song without remembering that moment.  

Andrew loved a good ballgame, and he attended many Yankee playoff games with his friends and family at one of his most sacred grounds – the “old” Yankee stadium.  During their historic run in the 90s and early 2000s, he was lucky enough to have witnessed the legendary Aaron Boone home run game, sitting a few seats from where that ball landed.  He absolutely loved feeling the wings of the old Yankee stadium shake during those epic Yankee playoff battles.  And, while the New York Yankees were his one true love, he also enjoyed no end of Seton Hall basketball and NY Ranger games.  Andrew was even able to hold the Stanley Cup when one of the NJ Devils brought it into his place of work.  Yes, it was not the Rangers having won the cup, but it was still the Stanley Cup - who else can say they have done that?

He felt at home by the water and loved to spend hours floating in the ocean and riding the waves with his family in New Jersey and Florida.  He was a firm believer that "Salt water is the cure to everything”.  He enjoyed spending hours on the dock at the marina in Vero fishing and could often be found out there looking for dolphins.  

As he grew older, one of Andrew’s greatest pleasures was watching his beloved niece and nephew grow into amazing humans and he treated them as though they were his own children.  He was so proud of them all the time and absolutely cherished them – being their Uncle was some of his best work.

He will be so dearly missed and we are truly grateful for the gift of time, way too much fun and tons of laughter and love.  Throughout the ups and downs of his journey his message to us was to go jump in the ocean, put your feet in the sand or the grass, go get some fresh air and take an extra deep breath for me.  Let us all remember him by doing that.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to the Atlantic Health Heart Success Program or the United Network for Organ Sharing.