Wednesday, November 9, 2022
Andy was my boss for 3.5 years while at Covance. He was always so calm, kind, and really simply put happy. During one of my reviews, I saw a picture of one of his daughters on his desk and commented about how beautiful she was - his eyes just lite up as he started talking about his family (I always loved this about him - a person who loves their family so much). I ended up leaving Covance after having my first child to stay home with my daughter. When I left I told Andy my reason for leaving was because I felt like I could no longer give my 100% (with my first born at home, I wanted to just be “mom”). I will never forget how supportive Andy was and just thoughtful in his response. I have since returned to work, but I will never forget his words in times of doubt, “Vanessa just so you know, your job would still be here even if you only gave 70% - I’d take your 70% over many others 100% any day. His words remind me of my strong work ethic and to not doubt my abilities. Your husband and father, was just such a kind man. One of my favorite quotes from Maya Angelou, “is that people may forget what you say, but they will never forget how you made them feel”. With Andy, he was remarkable at both. I can only imagine how difficult his loss is to your family. Andy and I didn’t stay in contact (other than the congratulations on a work anniversary on LinkedIn). I wish I would have gotten to tell him how much I appreciated our time together. I am grateful for the time I got to learn from Andy. I hope their is comfort in all the wonderful memories shared, during this difficult time.
My deepest condolences,
Vanessa (Carpentier) Zimmerman
