Andrew Bonertz, 28
The most important thing in Andrew Bonertz’s life was being a father to his son, Miller Joseph Bonertz. He nicknamed his boy Bubba and taught him how to blow raspberries and dance, bouncing up and down to all his favorite tunes. Miller, who will turn 1 next Thursday, brought so much joy to his father’s life in such a short period of time.
Mr. Bonertz died on June 15 in Hartford, Conn., from an accidental overdose. He was 28.
His family remembered him this week as “a kind and caring soul,” who had a protective instinct and stood up to bullies. “He always watched out for his family,” they said.
“There was a soundtrack to Andrew’s life, and it was always playing. No matter what he was doing, there was a carefully curated song to go along with it,” his partner, Leigh Goodstein, said. His favorite artists ranged from Waylon Jennings to Macklemore.
Mr. Bonertz was born on Oct. 25, 1989, at Scott Air Force Base in Belleville, Ill. His father, Joseph Bonertz, was in the Air Force and he followed him around as a boy trying to learn anything he could, from changing oil to fixing go-karts, earning him the nickname Little Man. By the age of 7, he had even flown a plane, his family said.
Even as a child, he was a gentleman who always helped out, from opening doors to carrying groceries. He enjoyed Boy Scouts and earned an Arrow of Light award, which now hangs in his son’s room. He had no fear and would try anything. As he grew, he learned to skateboard, something he continued to enjoy as an adult. In high school he joined the ski club and learned to snowboard. He graduated from East Hampton High School in Connecticut in 2008.
He was remembered this week as intelligent and as a history buff — particularly of World War II. He would voraciously consume any Ken Burns documentary, often staying up all night watching war footage. His own history was important to him, too. He decorated the walls of his bedroom with old photos of East Hampton, Conn., where he grew up. “He had a story for every corner and every back road, and loved driving aimlessly for hours, reminiscing about his childhood and all the people who populated his life,” his family said.
He lived in Nebraska, where his family was from, for three years during his childhood, and he always felt at home there. He spoke fondly of the Midwest and was proud of the values he drew from the simple life he loved there.
Mr. Bonertz moved to East Hampton in 2016 and built a simple life here, too. He enjoyed time with his young family, which included two dogs, Joey and Frank, that he loved playing with. He loved the beach; Indian Wells in Amagansett and the bay beach at the end of Springs-Fireplace Road were his favorites. “We used to drive down every morning, ‘To see if it was still there,’ he would say,” Ms. Goodstein recalled.
He spent many nights sitting on the back deck looking up at the stars. He also couldn’t get enough New York pizza, trying every pizza place from Montauk to Southampton. He settled on Pepperoni’s in East Hampton as his favorite, with Luigi’s a very close second.
He worked at the Clam Bar on Napeague as a cook, and expressed himself through art, mostly designing his own tattoos, which he would sometimes have professionally done and sometimes tattoo on himself. Being right-handed, this resulted in a lot of tattoos on his left side, but each had a special meaning. The recent addition of a large wolf tattoo on his hand represented overcoming adversity, he told his family.
In addition to Ms. Goodstein and their son, he is survived by his parents, Joseph and Susan Bonertz, and his sister, Ashely Bonertz, all of East Hampton, Conn., and a younger brother, Brandyn Bonertz of Avon, Conn. His grandmothers, Mary Ann Bonertz of Menominee, Neb., and Marilyn Kinzel of East Haddam, Conn., survive, as do a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, and a nephew.
A prayer service was held on Tuesday at the Spencer Funeral Home in East Hampton, Conn. He was to be cremated and his ashes interred with those of his grandfather Allen Joseph Bonertz, in Nebraska, according to his wishes. A celebration of his life will be held in New York at a later date.
His family has suggested donations to a fund set up in the name of his son, Miller Bonertz, at Liberty Bank, 2 West High Street, East Hampton, Conn. 06424.