Andree Elizabeth Schwedersky Growney, 78
Andree Elizabeth Schwedersky Growney, 78, was born January 19, 1947, and passed away peacefully in her sleep on October 12, 2025, after a long illness.
Andree was born in New York City but grew up in Connecticut, raised by her parents, Georges Herbert Schwedersky and Mabel Elizabeth Goldsborough. Georges was a colonel in the army and worked as a right-hand man to President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Working in Operation Paperclip, Georges brought the German rocket scientist Wernher von Braun to the United States.
Andree attended Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, and went on to earn her master’s in education at Boston College. She loved children and became a teacher’s aide in the Cambridge public school system for several years. She loved teaching, but not the Cambridge school system, and she eventually transitioned to computer programming.
Andree was very proficient in computer programming. It was during a computer programming initiative at Wesleyan College that she met her future husband, Wally Growney. Andree and Wally lived in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, and both taught at Susquehanna University. In the late 1990s, they published a tutorial about how to build more efficient internet database applications. From Selinsgrove, Wally and Andree retired to Lincoln and finally to Wellington, Florida.
Andree was a stepmother to Wally’s four kids Kristen, Todd, Eric, and Diann. Her stepchildren appreciated her sweetness and kind demeanor. They remember her love for Christmas and her excitement around the holiday season. She taught them Kings Corner, a card game that they play with their children to this day.
Andree’s soul was deeply aligned with animals. She specifically adored horses. She had a horse named Avalon. She took joy in training Avalon, and every time Andree’s car pulled up to the stables, Avalon would run to greet her.
Andree both admired and studied nature. Accompanied by her friend Pam, she went on many Massachusetts adventures. She would stamp flowers and search for rocks and dinosaur footprints. She would drive to the Acton Bridge and bike for hours, canoe on the Acton River, and occasionally visit Martha’s Vineyard.
Throughout her life, Andree faced many challenges that affected her late adulthood. Her husband, Wally, was her caretaker for many years. They spent many nights eating out at either the country club restaurant or some of their favorite restaurants in Wellington. They were such regulars that when they walked in, the servers already knew what they wanted. Toward the beginning of her health complications, they adopted a Cavalier King Charles spaniel named Gabby. Andree and Wally took Gabby to the dog park and on walks near their Wellington home. Despite all her medical challenges, she outlived both Wally and Gabby. This is largely due to the great care she received. While she was bedridden, she enjoyed watching “The Golden Girls,” which was her favorite show.
She is survived by her good friends Pamela Bunting, Larry Ritchie, and Eve Raymond; her cousin Dick Raymond; and her stepchildren Todd Growney, Diann Growney, Kristen Growney-Yamamoto, and Eric Growney. She was preceded in death by her husband, Wally; her best friend Jesse; her Cavalier Gabby, and her horse Avalon.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Earthplace Nature Center, Westport, Connecticut, in Andree’s memory. Her family and friends will always remember her for her graciousness, wit, artistic talent, and intelligence.
