In Memory of Andrea Fruzzetti: Community Support

We lost Andrea very suddenly. He was not only an anchor within our family but he was also an outgoing and caring member of many communities.

To honor Andrea's memory, we are raising funds to build wells or schools in Eritrea or other African communities that were part of his story.

Andrea was born in Keren, Italian Eritrea, in 1944. He is the son of Lucia Tesba Gilay and Silvio Fruzzetti. He lost his father, Silvio Fruzzetti, at the age of three, and soon after his mother, Lucia Tesba Gilay, brought Andrea and his sister, Lina, to Khartoum, Sudan.

While their mother worked, Andrea and Lina attended Comboni Schools in Khartoum. Andrea excelled in school and in sports - and after graduating from high school, he was recruited by the expatriate owner of the Greek Club Valesario in Ethiopia to play in Addis for several years. He then left for the USA and joined Lina in Minnesota, where he enrolled in Macalester College. He earned his Bachelor's Degree in Economics and History in 1974, then continued his education at the University of Minnesota.

Andrea met Sondra Decker at Macalester College. They were married in February of 1977. Their son Adriano was born in 1979, and their daughter Juliana was born in 1984. Although Andrea and Sondra lived briefly in Baghdad, Iraq, and traveled widely, they chose to settle and raise their children in St. Paul.

Andrea leaves to mourn: His beloved wife of 47 years, Sondra; his son Adriano Fruzzetti, daughter-in-law Carley, and their sons Oliver and Luca; his daughter Juliana Fruzzetti and his son-in-law-to-be

Justin Helgesen; sister Lina Fruzzetti and brother-In-law Akos Ostor (Providence, RI) and their daughters Leila and Katya; sister Sahitu M'Beng and brother-in-law Peter M'Beng (Potomac, MD) and their sons David, Joshua, Caleb, John, Bez and Isaiah; and great-nieces

and great-nephews. Andrea loved and was much loved by Sondra's mother June Decker (St. Paul, MN), brother-in-law Greg Decker (Nashville, TN), and sister-in-law Cynthia Decker (Silver Spring, MD).

We hope that by raising funds to build wells in the communities he loved--we will honor his memory in the best possible way.

Please join us!