Andrew Hillery Death, Obituary – On August 5, 2023, Andrew “Drew” Earl Hillery II, 38 years old, a resident of New Orleans, departed tragically much too soon. Drew was an entertainer and an explorer from the time he was a young child, and he always had a knack for the unexpected. In his younger years, he participated in and won various speaking competitions at Christian Brothers School, ran a DJ business while he was in middle school, and later became a stand-up comedian when he was in college.
He is recognized with accomplishing five of the Seven Summits, including Denali (with three climbs and two summits), Mount Aconcagua, Mount Elbrus, Mount Kilimanjaro (by the Western Breach Route), and Mount Kosciuszko. Drew’s quest of the unusual later led him to extreme mountain climbing, where he is credited with completing five of the Seven Summits. In addition to that, he scaled Chimborazo and the Carstensz Pyramid, where, thirteen hours after reaching the summit, Drew assisted in lowering an injured guide down the pyramid using a rope, which ultimately resulted in the guide’s survival.
He had a passion for deep sea spearfishing in places as far flung as Sri Lanka and the Kingdom of Tonga to the Gulf of Mexico, big wave surfing in Costa Rica, Hawaii, and the Maldives, and week-long duck hunting “rogue outs” with his friends, in particular Brendan Batt, Brandon Benedetto, and his brother, Will Hillery. He also enjoyed big wave surfing in Costa Rica, Hawaii, and the Maldives. Drew’s most recent successes, albeit somewhat more regional in scope, did not fail to excite him in the least.
Recent accomplishments include coaching a baseball team to a championship for Carrollton Boosters (the 11-12 year-old Hurricanes had a record of 15-1), developing a “night-golf” experience at Audubon Park Golf Club, and making an observed hole-in-one on the 7th hole at Audubon. Andrew was born on January 17, 1985, and was named after his late uncle, Andrew Earl Hillery, who was his father’s younger brother. Andrew’s birth year was 1985, and his uncle was Andrew Earl Hillery. Drew loved his middle school years at Christian Brothers School and then went on to De La Salle for high school, graduating in 2003.
He chose to study communications at the University of Alabama where he was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon “Deke” fraternity and Class of 2007. After graduating, Drew worked at the family business, World Ship Supply, in Huntington Beach, California. He later moved to Freshwater Beach, Australia and started a career in medical sales that earned him international awards and recognition. He was a keen and proud salesman – traits which came straight from his grandfather, Julian S. Hillery Sr. While in Australia, Drew met his girlfriend Anne “AK” Keese Wallace from Savannah, GA. Despite loving his friends and life in Australia, he decided to return home in 2021 to his roots, his family, and his friends in New Orleans.
Drew will be remembered fondly for his passionate approach to life, his extraordinary achievements both on land and at sea, and his intense love for family and friends. He will be greatly missed. Andrew leaves us with this thought: “Every day, even with the most focused and functional routine, you don’t know who you’ll meet or what could happen. We rarely think about the opportunities each hour can bring. You need to take advantage of every second on each day. The amount of variables are endless.”
Andrew is survived by his parents, Jeanne and Julian “Jubi” S. Hillery Jr., siblings, Julian S. Hillery III (Sara), Kathleen H. Antonatos (Craig), and William S. Hillery. He is also survived by his nephews, Swoop and Reavley, nieces, Vaughan and Hillery, and grandmothers, Mary F. Hillery and Kathleen J. Buehrle. He is predeceased by his grandfathers, Julian S. Hillery Sr. and Victor E. Buehrle.
Services will be held at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home on Tuesday, August 15th with visitation from 9-11 a.m. and services following. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Christian Brothers School in memory of Andrew Earl Hillery II at #8 Friederichs Ave. New Orleans, LA 70124.
