Gary Edward Andreassen of Southampton and New York City Dies March 4

Gary Edward Andreassen of Southampton and New York City died on Saturday, March 4, after a short battle with cancer. He was 71.

Born on September 4, 1951, he was the eldest child of parents Edward and Iola Andreassen. He was a very bright student in school and his two younger sisters always looked up to their big brother. He was a Cub Scout and a Boy Scout, a Little League and high school baseball player, a swimmer on the swim team, and a lifeguard at the community pool in Bethpage, where he lived for all of his childhood.

Andreassen loved music, his family said, especially ’60s music. He was a DJ at the campus station of his undergraduate university, the University of Delaware, where he majored in economics. After earning his master’s degree in business administration at St. John’s University, he went on to work in various financial roles at NBC for 13 years.

He continued his rewarding career in finance and technology at Digital Equipment, AT&T, IBM, Lucent, CA, CSC and more.

Outside of work, he ran multiple marathons and continued running and swimming throughout his life, and he also enjoyed traveling, including to Norway to visit his grandparents and other relatives.

In 1987, he was set up with his wife Katherine (née Donegan), on a blind date arranged by his sister and her good friend. They fell madly in love, his family said, and married a year later in 1988.

In 1991 and 1992, he welcomed his daughters into the world and was blessed by them every day of his life, his family said, noting that he called them his masterpieces and loved them fiercely. There was never a more devoted husband and father, and they built a happy and loving home together in New Jersey, New York City, and Southampton.

Andreassen’s happy place was the beach and swimming in the ocean, even in the cold winter months. For this reason, he fell in love with the Hamptons, and in 1987 he bought his home in Southampton, which became a beloved escape for him and his family for the last 35 years.

He died on what would have been his 71st-and-a-half birthday.

In addition to his wife; he is survived by his daughters Alexandra and Elizabeth; sisters Janice (Kennedy) and Linda (Hoeberlein); and many in-laws, nieces and nephews, and extended family.

In honor of his life, there will be a memorial service at Crestwood Funeral Home at 445 West 43rd Street in New York City from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 18.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (mskcc.org) in his memory would be appreciated by the family.