Andrea Leigh Ptak
Beloved longtime Guild member Andrea (Andie) Leigh Ptak died on July 16th after a courageous battle with ovarian cancer. A member since at least 2009, Andie served as secretary of our board of directors from 2013 to 2014, and as the marketing committee chair for the Red Pencil conference in 2015, at which she was presented with the Guild's award of excellence. She was a knowledgeable, warm, and welcoming presence in the Guild, remembered by many members for her attentive way of seeking out people who seemed new, unsure, or lonely.
Her official obituary is available at the Co-op Funeral Home of People’s Memorial, and states that donations in her memory can be made to Tracy’s Paws Rescue of Hondo, TX. A memorial page on the Guild’s website is also in progress.
If you would like to share memories or photos of Andie for the Guild’s memorial page, please email them to info@edsguild.org. Below are a few of the remembrances that members have shared with us.
“This is Mi Ae Lipe, a fellow editing colleague of Andie's. I am heartbroken to hear of her death, especially since I had heard (perhaps erroneously) that she was recently getting better from her cancer. She and I were highly unusual in that we are editors who also do graphic design and thus were involved in similar kinds of work. We sometimes consulted each other about the most inane design and editing conundrums, and we even discussed the possibility of working together jointly on overflow projects as a way of sharing the load.
It never happened, but I was always so grateful for her incredible positivity, sunny enthusiasm, and just plain helpfulness in everything she did and the way she interacted with everyone. With her friendly face and warm aura, she made the world that much more amazing and lovely. I will miss her so very much.”
— Mi Ae Lipe
“Andie was one of the first people to welcome me when I first joined the guild, not long after I moved to Seattle, where I didn't know a soul. In retrospect, perhaps it was because I didn't know anyone that she went out of her way to be friendly; she was that kind of generous and attentive person. We volunteered together a couple of times, and it was delightful getting to know her better. She was always thinking about what other people might need and how she might connect them with what they needed. When I started writing a column for the Seattle Times, she gave me lots of good suggestions, which was especially helpful when the pandemic shut everything down. She even volunteered to be a subject for a column I wrote about socially distanced dining: https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/oct-11-gather/
Andie also introduced me to my ukulele teacher, a friend of hers, who is now a friend of mine. We have talked many times about how lucky we have been to have Andie in our lives. Andie's creativity, warmth, and kindness brought a unique light to the world, and the many people she touched will miss her deeply.”
— Christy Karras
“She was a big presence who will be missed. Since we live about 10 blocks from each other, we often carpooled to meetings or conferences and occasionally socialized, and we served on the board together. I appreciated her professionalism, friendship, caring nature, and big, bright personality (and envied her green thumb).”
— Richard Isaac
“I am having a hard time knowing what to say. I will miss Andie so much — I’m sure a lot of us will. I’m sure many of us remember in-person events hosted in her beautiful garden.”
— Kyra Freestar
“I was one of the friends in her “C Is for More than Cancer“ Facebook group and I am still reeling because she seemed to be getting better. We worked together on a couple of conferences, and the Guild can be grateful to her for a lot of graphic design work. And what a wonderful smile! And she was such a gardener!”
— Beth Chapple
“I haven't quite been able to determine the exact year that Andie joined the Guild just yet (she was already a member in 2009, and prior to that the records that I have easy access to get a bit spotty). She served as secretary of our board of directors from 2013 to 2014, and served as the marketing committee chair for the Red Pencil conference in 2015, at which she was presented with the Guild's award of excellence.
Andie was a knowledgeable, warm, and welcoming presence in the Guild. When I joined in 2013, she was one of the first editors to make me feel at home in the Guild, and she never hesitated to approach people and chat with them. In fact, one of my favorite memories of Andie is of her doing exactly that. Back in 2014 or so I joined a group of editors, including Andie, attending the Potlatch science fiction and fantasy conference, which was held that year at Hotel Deca in the University District. We visited the convention suite after a session in the main ballroom and were clustered up chatting when Andie spotted Vonda McIntyre across the room and pointed her out to the rest of us.
I think I said something about how much I love her work. I can't remember exactly what Andie said back, because it ended with her marching right up to one of the grand dames of science fiction (with the rest of us in tow, because what could we do but tag along?) and introducing herself and the rest of us. Thanks to her, we spent the afternoon sitting in the lobby chatting like old pals with an author who's been one of my heroes since I was a pre-teen. I missed out on the impromptu dinner party afterward, but I've been told it was as warm, witty, and down to earth as everything else Andie was ever involved in, which is saying a great deal.
I will miss her immensely, and I know I'm very much not alone in that.”
— Jen Grogan
Richard Isaac, Rebecca Brinbury, and Andie Ptak at the 2019 Red Pencil Conference. Photo courtesy of Richard Isaac.
The 2015 Guild board retreat. Back row from left: Cynthia White, Julie Klein, Kristin Vorce-Duran, Tamara Neeley, Amanda Vail, Kathleen Walker, Jennifer Hager. Front row from left: Rob Esene, Richard Isaac, Rebecca Brinbury, Waverly Fitzgerald, Jen Grogan, Andie Ptak. Photo courtesy of Richard Isaac.
Kyra Freestar and Andie Ptak. Photo courtesy of Richard Isaac.
Andie Ptak realizing that she’s the 2015 recipient of the Guild’s Award of Excellence at the 2015 Red Pencil Conference. Photo courtesy of Richard Isaac.
Richard Isaac, Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, Andie Ptak, and an unknown editor outside the 2023 Red Pencil Conference. Photo courtesy of Richard Isaac.
Mary-Colleen Jenkins and Andie Ptak at the 2015 Red Pencil Conference. Photo courtesy of Richard Isaac.
Andie with our co-founder, Sherri Schultz, at the 2017 Red Pencil conference.
