On the afternoon of Aug. 20, God called Andrew Philip Van Dyken, 31, home after a 5 ½ year battle with cancer. He is now in Heaven watching over the most beautiful set of Black Angus cows you can imagine.
Andy was born on April 5, 1991, to Rick and Halane Van Dyken, joining his brother Kyle and his sister Heidi. His younger years were spent in the Gallatin Valley, where he attended Manhattan Christian School. He was always interested and very involved in haying, grain harvest and all things cattle. In the spring of 2006, he and his parents made the move to the Crow Creek valley.
Andy graduated from Manhattan Christian in 2009, much to the relief of the teachers. After a very short try at college, Andy returned to Toston to become more involved in the Thousand Hills Angus herd. From a very early age, Andy showed a keen interest and developed a very good eye for cattle. His ability to recall pedigrees, sires, and EPDs was truly amazing. He would spend countless hours each spring studying sire directories, searching for just the right mating to enhance his cowherd genetics. It was under his direction and guidance that, in 2019, Thousand Hills began holding its own production sale.
At a bull sale, (where else) Andy was introduced to Kindle McCauley by mutual friends. He proposed to Kindle in the horse barn at the Smith Ranch in Boulder, where she was doing night calving. They were married Nov. 15, 2014 at the Kleffner Ranch in East Helena on a day where the temperature was well below zero.
Andy and Kindle were blessed with a son, Jackson Wacey, on Aug. 17, 2015 Andy was a very proud dad, and like everything else he did, he gave his parenting job 100 percent.
In April of 2017, Andy was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, and that began the hardest battle he would face. His strength and unwavering determination to be one of the few to defeat this terrible disease was truly an inspiration to all who knew him.
After two rounds of chemotherapy, Andy and Kindle were blessed with their miracle baby. Otis James joined the family on April 19, 2021. Otis has that extra sparkle in his eyes, just like his dad.
Andy was preceded in death by his grandpa, Roger Van Dyken, his grandpa and grandma, Phil and Nene Flikkema, and his mother in law, Anika McCauley.
Left waiting on earth and looking to be reunited with Andy in Heaven are his wife, Kindle, sons Jackson and Otis, parents Rick and Halane Van Dyken, his brother Kyle (daughter Kenna), his sister Heidi Kool (husband Jason, sons Bridger and Colton), his grandma Mary Anne Van Dyken, and his father in law Jim McCauley.
A celebration of Andy’s life will be held Wednesday, Sept. 7, at 10 a.m. at the Trailhead Church just north of Townsend. Graveside service will follow at the Radersburg cemetery. As per Andy’s wishes, a potluck lunch will be served, following the services, at the Radersburg Schoolhouse. We are asking those who attend to please bring a salad or desert, and a small cooler with beverages to share. We will provide the meat.
In lieu of flowers, we would appreciate it if those gifts would be donated to this foundation: Osteosarcoma Institute, 3963 Maple Avenue Suite 390, Dallas, TX 75219. https://osinst.org/donate/
Please visit www.stevensonwilke.com to offer a condolence to the family or to share a favorite memory of Andy.
