Andrea Ruth Winrod, age sixteen years and nine months, tragically lost her life in a car accident Tuesday evening, December 3, 2024. She was born to parents Nathanael and Faith Winrod on February 25, 2008, at Tecumseh, Missouri, the third oldest of their children. As a junior at Gainesville High School, Andrea was an excellent student and was involved in many extracurricular activities, including membership in FFA and FBLA. She had a wide range of friends and touched the lives of everyone she met with her energetic spirit and get-it-done attitude. Andrea aspired to go into the healthcare field after graduation in 2026.
Throughout her life, Andrea was a daughter, a sister, a niece, a cousin, a granddaughter, a friend, and an athlete. She particularly excelled as a basketball player and played the game with heart and passion. She would often come home after a game and hash out every detail with her older sister, Debra. This season, she and her sister Amie were enjoying playing together on the Lady Bulldogs team.
Andrea was known for her gorgeous smile, which could light up a room, and her contagious laugh. She spoke what was on her mind (always!) and she never gave up when she set her heart to something. After she tore her meniscus her freshman year of basketball, Andrea refused to bedone. She played the rest of the basketball season with her injury, despite the advice of almost everyone. She was determined to finish the season and refused to give up on her team or herself, although she often played in pain. Another example of her stubbornness was when she had left a picnic table in a low spot in the yard after a team dinner. Shortly after the dinner, rain flooded the low spot. Her siblings were making fun of her so she ran out in the cold and rain with only shorts and a shirt. She didn’t even have shoes on. She pulled the table out of the water all by herself just to prove she could. Andrea was fierce and tough, and it showed in her life in many ways.
She was blessed with the most beautiful singing voice and also enjoyed playing guitar. She could really belt out a tune in the car; just ask her friends and siblings! Andrea was a true animal lover, but she adored horses and trail rides on one of her horses. It is the family’s comfort to know that Andrea loved the Lord. Psalm 23 was her favorite scripture because it gave her peace and comfort. She and her family are active members of Trinity Lutheran Church in Mountain Home.
Our beloved Andrea is survived by her parents, Nathanael and Faith Winrod of Tecumseh, Mo., along with her sisters, Debra, Amie and Felicia Winrod, and her brothers, Derek, Kyle, and Kenneth Winrod. Also mourning her loss are her maternal grandparents, Steven and Audrey Marczak of Minnesota, and her paternal grandparents, Jon and Debra Winrod of Alaska, as well as many uncles, aunts, cousins, and treasured friends. She was loved by so many and will never be forgotten.
Visitation will be at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 7, 2024 at Trinity Lutheran Church at 801 Dryer Street, Mountain Home, AR 72653. The funeral service will follow at 10:30 a.m.
Following that will be the committal service.
A Celebration of Life dinner will be held Saturday, December 7, 2024 at 1:30 p.m. in the Gainesville High School FEMA building and is open to the public.
Arrangements are under the direction of Clinkingbeard Funeral Home, Gainesville, MO.
