ANDREW D. SILVEUS, 1979 - 2000

Athlete remembered as scholar

LIBERTY CENTER - Andrew D. Silveus, who played middle linebacker and tight end on Liberty Center High School's 1997 championship football team, died Monday in Medical College Hospitals, Toledo. He was 20.

Mr. Silveus died of complications stemming from a vascular disorder, according to his uncle, John Nye. Mr. Silveus had been in declining health for about 1 1/2 years, Mr. Nye said.

He graduated from Liberty Center High School in 1998. He would have been a junior majoring in engineering at the University of Toledo, in the fall.

'His love was for football, but he was a standout at baseball and basketball,' Mr. Nye said 'He was an excellent catcher in baseball, and he was a forward in basketball. He took on the big guys under the backboards.'

In four years, Mr. Silveus won 12 athletic letters in high school by playing football, baseball, and basketball. His uncle said he was 'a scholar athlete. He played hard in sports, and he was a straight-A student at the same time.'

He skipped college sports at UT to concentrate on his academic goals, his uncle said. He had a summer job in the shipping department of Clapp & Haney Tool Co., Whitehouse.

'He was just a good high school football player,' said Terry Miller, a retired assistant football coach at Liberty Center High School. 'He was probably one of the hardest workers. It didn't matter whether it was practice or a game.'

Mr. Miller, who coached Mr. Silveus in Little League baseball, said he displayed the same competitive attitude that he later showed in high school.

'He was a quiet leader. He didn't usually say a whole lot but, when he did speak, people paid attention,' Mr. Miller said. 'I think he took pride in being prepared for a [football] game. He watched he videos, studied our game plan, and he listened to his coaches.'

Rick Miller, a longtime friend of the Silveus family and Terry Miller's brother, said he was impressed with the 'work ethic' of Mr. Silveus, noting: 'When he did something - and it was done - you knew he had given it all he had. He took pride in the things he had accomplished through his own hard work.

'He came from a Christian family, and he reflected his family's values: hard work, honesty, devotion to duty, and loyalty to friends.'

Dawn Nye, an aunt of Mr. Silveus, said her nephew 'always had time for his family. At every family gathering, he was there. That was a priority for him.'

She said Mr. Silveus 'was always big and tough, but he was such a loving person. He was the oldest of three boys. He really was a big brother for his younger brothers, Bret, 18, and Curt, 13, because he tried to set a good example.'

Surviving are his parents, Deb and Dave Silveus; brothers, Bret and Curt, and grandparents, Phyllis and Jim Silveus and LaRena and Don Callahan.

The body will be in the Wright Funeral Home, Liberty Center, after 2 p.m. today. Services will be at 11 a.m. tomorrow in Liberty Center United Methodist Church.