Obituary: Andrew James Markovich

Andrew James Markovich, age 57, of Juneau, Alaska, passed away unexpectedly Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, at his residence.

Andrew James Markovich

Born July 9, 1968, in Juneau, Alaska, he was the eighth child of Andrew Markovich and Diana Adell Hanes.

Andy spoke fondly of growing up on Engineer's Cutoff in Juneau — how "time out" would be yelled in the middle of front yard baseball games to allow a bear to saunter through; about his very protective pet goose that would greet him with a hug when he got off of the school bus; and how his favorite dog Buffy actually belonged to the Smith family who lived over a mile away from his home. Buffy wandered up to the Markovich home so frequently that one day when the Markovich family called the Smiths to let them know they had Buffy again, they were told that the dog obviously wanted to be there so just keep her.

In his teenage years, Andy worked for local supermarkets Super Bear and Mark N Pack. Upon graduating from Juneau-Douglas High School, he briefly moved to Eagle Point, Oregon, with his sister Ruth and her family.

Andy helped his brother-in-law Dave McFall renovate a home, and he also worked a very short stint for a logging company. Early on, a run-in with a large snake caused an immediate departure from logging and he never went back.

Andy returned to Juneau in 1987, working several years at Fred Meyer and then Northern Sales before taking a leap of faith to work for a friend’s flooring company. After about eight years of learning the trade, he hung out his own shingle, allowing him to spend much more time with his family.

Always a huge baseball fan, Andy grew up playing Little League and then continued on to play adult slow-pitch softball for more than 10 years. He gave up softball to coach his son’s little league teams, which he did for nine seasons, as well as assisted coaching the local club baseball team for several seasons. Andy’s core goal for all of the young men he coached throughout the years was that they be respectful competitors and love the game.

Andy loved hunting, fishing, spending time on the ocean watching wildlife, and viewing the northern lights. He spent hours in the yard with his spotting scope watching bears and goats roam Thunder Mountain and enjoyed showing his discoveries to anyone nearby. One particular spotting, during his 55th birthday cookout, he discovered a close family friends’ son setting up camp with his buddies while enjoying adult beverages.

It filled Andy with great joy teaching his son how to hunt and fish. He absolutely cherished the hours spent sitting in chest waders under a duck blind alongside Jared and his standard poodle. Andy beamed with pride telling others of his son, the now successful hunting and fishing guide.

Although both of his children spent time on their hands and knees learning various aspects of the flooring trade, it thrilled him that it was his daughter who took to the trade and worked on many jobs with him over the years. Harper loved working with her hands while putting her mathematical brain to work. Harper even considered taking over the business when the time was right.

For several years Andy and Harper played on a father-daughter volleyball team. Both Andy and Harper absolutely loved that team and it was incredible to watch how well they played together. At the same time, Jared also played on a mother-son team with Darcy. Although the two teams only played each other a handful of times, the entire family had a blast doing so.

Andy was a very patient husband. He humored Darcy and her friends on many occasions by transforming his flooring van into a party bus, complete with multi-colored LED lights, music, and a sectional sofa. These gatherings always included at least three stops. Andy would sit in the van watching movies on his iPad, waiting for the rowdy women to pile in for delivery to their next destination. Andy was asked multiple times by strangers passing by for his party bus business card. All were astonished that he was just a husband playing chauffeur to his wife and her friends.

Andy was preceded in death by his father, Andrew Markovich, and eldest brother John Ritter. He is survived by his wife, Darcy Markovich; children Jared (Casandra) Markovich, and Harper (Deany Belleza) Markovich; mother, Diana Markovich; mother- and father-in-law Vickie and Robert Crombie; brothers David Ritter, Robert (Ginalyn) Markovich, and Matthew Markovich; sisters Ruth (Dave) McFall, Leah (John) Beedle, Susan (Dave) Cloudy, and Tammy (Chris) Shipler; sisters-in-law Kimberly (Todd Porter) Phelan, and Robyn (Edward McGrath) Crombie; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

A celebration of life is being planned for July 4 in Juneau.