Shelby Renee Andrus

Shelby Renee’ (Jecminek) Andrus, born June 12, 1972 in Houston, TX, passed away peacefully, February 10, 2025, at Northwest Vista Hospital, Las Vegas, NV. Her Soulmate and love of her life, Robert Andrus, was at her bedside.

Shelby leaves behind a legacy of love and cherished memories by her parents, Dana Jecminek of Texas and Al Jecminek (Loraine) of Florida, many uncles and aunts in Colorado and nephews Brandon and Collin Thompson of Ohio. Shelby is reunited with her sister, whom she adored, Dawn (Jecminek) Thompson of Columbus, OH, who preceded her in death.

It's natural with Shelby’s love of animals and nature that, after graduating in 1990 from Spring Woods High School in Houston, she would study biology and animal sciences at the University of Texas-Austin and finally at Foothill-DeAnza College in Los Altos, CA. There she met her best friend of 30 years, Susan Pope from Australia currently living in Texas, still sharing their love of animals after all these years.

In 1999 she joined the U. S. Coast Guard. She spent eight grueling weeks training at Cape May, NJ. Her first post was Mobile, AL. where she met Robert Andrus, the love of her life, also a Coastie. After 18 months Shelby was required to go to Petaluma, CA for additional medical training for her next post in Kodiak, AK. Fortunately, somehow, they were both permitted to go to Alaska. Neither of them cared for the severe weather, but it was beautiful. While they were there, they married on a mountain top by a Samoan minister romantically dressed in their tie-dyed T-shirts! After two years they returned to sunny California where they both retired shortly later.

They were enjoying their respective jobs in the private sector when Shelby got sick, necessitating a liver transplant. She had many years of good health, 15 to be exact. However, 14 months ago her health began to fail miserably. She fought a valiant fight until February 10th at 12:13am when her little heart gave out and God took her into his arms.