Andrew Ronald Venjohn, 51, passed away on July 5, 2026.

Andrew was born on June 11, 1975, in Rolla, North Dakota, to Ron and Kathy Venjohn. He grew up in Jamestown, North Dakota, where he attended St. John's Academy and graduated from Jamestown High School in 1993.

Andrew approached life with an insatiable curiosity and a genuine sense of wonder, always eager to learn something new, meet someone different, or discover beauty where others might overlook it. Even as a young man, his curiosity about the world was unmistakable. With his high school graduation money, he purchased a computer—an uncommon purchase in 1993—and treated himself and a friend to The Phantom of the Opera in Minneapolis. Looking back, those choices perfectly reflected a life spent embracing learning, beauty, and adventure.

Speech and Debate first introduced Andrew to the joy of exploring ideas, a passion that remained with him throughout his life. His first job at Dairy Queen sparked a lifelong love of the restaurant industry, where he found not only meaningful work but also a community of friends and countless stories he delighted in sharing.

Andrew first attended the University of North Dakota before completing degrees in Religion, International Studies, German, and Women's Studies at the University of Minnesota. True to his independent nature, he quietly completed his degree requirements in December 2002 but neglected to tell his family, assuming they would realize he had graduated when he fulfilled his longtime dream of traveling to Germany. His family lovingly insisted on giving him the graduation celebration he deserved the following summer at the family lake, complete with cap, gown, music, and cake.

His love of Germany began in high school German class and eventually led him to travel there after college, where he met distant Venjohn relatives and learned more about his family's history. Throughout his life, Andrew embraced opportunities to experience the wider world, living in Jamestown, Minneapolis, London, Los Angeles, Oregon, Grand Forks, East Grand Forks, and Buffalo, always building meaningful friendships along the way.

Andrew built friendships wherever life took him. His friends included artists, musicians, athletes, hikers, cooks, bartenders, fellow travelers, and neighbors from many cultures, ethnicities, and faith traditions. He treasured those friendships deeply, and many became family. Andrew genuinely enjoyed learning how others experienced the world and had a remarkable gift for making people feel seen, welcomed, and valued. That gift naturally flourished throughout his career. Andrew spent much of his working life in the restaurant industry, where his quick wit, remarkable multitasking ability, and genuine enjoyment of people made him memorable to coworkers and guests alike. He first guided travelers through America's national parks with Trek America, sharing his love of beautiful landscapes, history, and the unique stories of each place. He later led tours throughout England, Ireland, and Scotland with Trek Tours, delighting in introducing visitors to the people, places, and history that made each destination unforgettable. While living in Los Angeles, he helped build sets for music videos, worked at The Birds restaurant, and was selected to appear on an episode of Bar Rescue, later laughing that reality television wasn't nearly as real as people imagined.

Andrew loved concerts, movies, and music and seemed to have an endless supply of movie quotes and song lyrics ready for almost any conversation. He delighted in sharing those moments with others, often turning an ordinary conversation into laughter with the perfect lyric or movie line. He also loved crossword puzzles, coffee, photography, international soccer, restoring furniture, practical jokes, and spirited conversations that wandered into history, philosophy, or religion.

Those who knew Andrew best knew his playful spirit. Family vacations at Woodlawn Resort on Blanche Lake created countless treasured memories. Whether dramatically rescuing his sisters from waist-deep water while proclaiming, "It's okay, I've got you!"; teaching the family dog Molly to catch popcorn until she accidentally caught his mouth instead; spinning plates in the kitchen until his mother simply sighed, "Andrew..."; or turning a game of Chronology into a graduate seminar while his impatient sister finally declared, "Just play the damn card!"—Andrew delighted in making people laugh.

Andrew treasured the many mornings he spent hunting dove, duck, pheasant, goose, and deer with his dad. Some of his favorite hunting trips also included his beloved Uncle Ray—whom Andrew affectionately renamed "Uncle Remus"—and his cousin Tyler.

Throughout his life, the antlers from one of his deer hunts hung wherever he lived, usually serving as a hat rack for the well-worn blue farm cap that had belonged to Grandpa Venjohn—a treasured keepsake Andrew had loved since he was a young boy.

Andrew delighted in being an uncle to Reagan, Porter, Parker, and Drew. Whether waking them with his intentionally loud and wonderfully off-key rendition of "Way Up in the Sky," entertaining them with practical jokes, or sharing games and stories, he found great joy in watching them grow. He was also deeply honored to be the godfather of Alaina Kilabarda, whose brief life left a lasting place in his heart.

Andrew had an especially gentle heart for animals. His beloved dog Molly was his constant companion for many years and held a special place in his heart. He adored his childhood cat, Bubba, later cherished the family's beloved cats, Annie and Barney, and loved spending time with Kristi's dogs, Hudson and Huey. Somehow, he knew every neighborhood dog by name and rarely passed one without stopping to say hello.

Above all, Andrew was a champion for people. His curiosity, compassion, humor, generosity, adventurous spirit, and hospitality left lasting impressions on those fortunate enough to know him.

In the later years of his life, Andrew faced the burdens of mental illness and addiction. Our family believes he carried an inner suffering that was often unseen. While those illnesses became part of his story, they never defined the man we knew and loved. We choose to remember Andrew not by the illnesses he battled, but by his extraordinary curiosity, his compassion for others, his playful humor, and the light that shone so brightly throughout much of his life. If Andrew leaves us with one gift, we hope it is greater compassion for those living with mental illness and addiction, and for the families who love them fiercely. May we remember Andrew by approaching one another with the same curiosity, generosity, hospitality, compassion, and wonder that he brought to the world every day.

Andrew's greatest joy was the family and friends who loved him throughout his life. He leaves behind his devoted and loving parents, Ron and Kathy Venjohn of Grand Forks; his sister, Kristi Purcell, her sons, Reagan and Porter, and their father, Pat Purcell, all of Grand Forks; his sister, Kari Melland, her sons, Parker and Drew, and their father, Cory Melland, all of Grand Forks; along with many beloved aunts, uncles, cousins, dear friends, and chosen family of friends whose lives were enriched by his kindness, curiosity, humor, and generous spirit.

He was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Wilbert and Dorine Venjohn, and his maternal grandparents, Ralph and Mary Mercer.

Memorial Mass: 11:00 a.m. Thursday, July 23, 2026, in St. Michael's Catholic Church in Grand Forks, ND.
Family Greeting: One hour prior to the liturgy in the church on Thursday.
Interment: Garden of the Evangelists Columbarium, Calvary North Cemetery, Grand Forks, ND.

Andrew believed people—and every animal who crossed his path—were worthy of kindness. In his memory, memorials may be made to a local food pantry, a local Humane Society, or a charity supporting mental health and addiction recovery.