Andrew Christian Aunkst

On December 10, 2013, our beloved Andrew Christian (Andy) Aunkst finally had all of this world that he could take and ended his life. Andy had Asperger's syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder, and every day was a struggle for him. He was one of the most affectionate people anyone could ever meet, a quality that was oftentimes not returned in kind by his peers. Despite his difficulties, Andy was a devoted Boy Scout, earning his Eagle and admission into the Order of the Arrow. He made two treks to Philmont, which he thoroughly enjoyed and talked about often. He was a student at Red Rocks Community College, set to finish his Associates of Applied Science degree in Electrical Maintenance in December. He loved McDonalds and worked there for six years. As with many Asperger's sufferers, Andy would become intensely focused on a subject for several months and then move on to something else. One of Andy's topics was the Titanic; he could cite statistics about dates, size, people, and anything else. He loved sports teams from Philadelphia: Phillies, Eagles, Flyers. The latest love of his life was his new kitten, Molly, whom he nursed to health. Sadly, Molly was taken with Andrew. Andy was born in Clinton, Maryland on October 24, 1985, but he had been a Coloradan since 1994, sharing an apartment with his sister, Lauren, for the past two years. Andy is survived by his parents, Brian and Kim, his two sisters, Lauren and Lisa (of Danville, Pennsylvania), his maternal grandparents, and three nephews and one niece. A Memorial Service will be held on Thursday, December 19, 2013 at 2:00 PM at Horan and McConaty Family Chapel, 3101 South Wadsworth Boulevard, Lakewood. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Autism Society or to Autism Speaks, two organizations that are diligently working for those who suffer from autism spectrum disorders and their families.