Obituary of Andrew Powers Minigan

BEVERLY – Andrew Powers Minigan, 29, passed away at Brigham & Women’s Hospital on Saturday, September 19, 2020 after complications of a pulmonary embolism. He was the beloved son of Jack and Colleen (Fitzpatrick) Minigan. Born in Beverly on December 28, 1990, Andrew was a graduate of Beverly High School and graduated, Summa Cum Laude from the University of New Hampshire with a B.A. degree in Psychology. At UNH, he was the recipient of the Herbert A. Carroll Award for most outstanding senior in Psychology. Andrew earned his Ed.M. in Human Development & Psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2015. In December, Andrew was expected to graduate from Northeastern University with a Doctorate of Education. Andrew was the Director of Strategy at the Right Question Institute (RQI) in Cambridge. He facilitated active learning experiences for educators, faculty, researchers, and students in both K-12 and higher education and worked with thousands of learners from around the world. Andrew conducted research and consulted on other researchers’ empirical work, and he also designed new learning experiences and curricula to support educators, researchers and learners. Andrew was a Co-Principal Investigator on a National Science Foundation funded research grant to develop a strategy so researchers can learn how to formulate better, more transformative research questions. He was also a Co-Principal Investigator on a Library of Congress grant that will provide learning opportunities for educators around the country, especially those working with traditionally underrepresented students, so they may learn a strategy to facilitate more effective student-driven inquiry on primary sources. Andrew was very proud of his many academic publications. Andrew was a member of the UNH Alumni Assoc. and The Harvard Graduate School of Education Alumni Assoc. Andrew enjoyed playing basketball and football with friends, attending professional sporting events, hiking and camping with his beloved, Heather, going for walks around Beverly, attending concerts, and participating in a myriad of other traditions with his family. In addition to his parents and partner, Heather Muir, Andrew is survived by his brother, John F. Minigan; his sister, Lauren Kate Minigan, and her partner, Matthew Bongiorno; maternal grandfather, David Fitzpatrick; aunts and uncles, Richard W. and Sheila Minigan, Margaret “Peggy” (Minigan) and Jody Pedro, Ann (Minigan) Kent, Kathleen (Fitzpatrick) Meadowcroft, Richard Kent and Paul Meadowcroft; cousins, Ann Maderia and Jamey Pedro, Richard and Shawn Minigan, Sara and Ryan Kent, William and Abigail Meadowcroft, and many other loving family members. Andrew also leaves behind many treasured friends. He was predeceased by his maternal grandmother, Carol (Pelletier) Fitzpatrick, paternal grandparents, Richard T. and Margaret (Powers) Minigan, maternal aunt, Christine Fitzpatrick, and a special great aunt, Anna Shepard. The Minigan family would like to express appreciation to Kathy Harney, N.P., Dr. Finn Thompson, Dr. Mary Mullen, Dr. Jennifer Whangbo, and Dr. Elisa Bronfman of Children’s Hospital. Additionally, they would like to thank Dr. Mark Libon and Helen Higgins who also provided Andrew and his family with support over the last 14 years. Andrew’s visiting hours will be held on Thursday in the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home, 82 Lynn St., Peabody from 4 – 7 p.m. Funeral services will be held on Saturday in the North Beverly Cemetery (Rt. 97) at 10 a.m. Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend. All attendees are required to wear facial coverings and maintain social distancing as well. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Andrew’s memory to Boston Children’s Hospital, c/o Boston Children’s Hospital Trust, 401 Park Dr., Suite 602, Boston, MA 02215-5301 (bostonchildrens.org/givenow). Please include Andrew’s name in the memo. Or donate to the “Andrew Minigan Memorial Fund” at https://rightquestion.org/andrew-minigan-memorial-fund/.