Andrew J. McCusker

SCARBOROUGH – Much loved spouse, brother, friend, father, and grandfather, Andrew J. McCusker, IV, 77, died on Sept. 3, 2024, at his lake home on Lake Monomonac, in Winchendon, Mass. He will be deeply missed and remembered by everyone who encountered his infectious enthusiasm for life.

Andy graduated from Assumption Prep in 1965 and the University of Connecticut in 1970 as a prodigious student. He received his master’s degree in Zoology/Marine Ecology in 1972, focusing on marine invertebrates, which unlocked his first underwater adventures in scuba diving.

Andy spent his career in environmental technologies, including working on the North Slope in Alaska and founding his own company, Mackworth-Enviro. His work and passion dovetailed, allowing him to spend most of his life in and on the water. He taught children about the wonders of the intertidal zone, served as the President of the National Association of Environmental Professionals, and traveled to Russia and Belarus on an international environmental delegation.

Andy’s fun-loving spirit touched us all. From handing out cowbells to kids spectating races, to buying talking hamsters for kids in the family and neighborhood, and arranging funny displays of what he called “small mammals” (stuffies) for his wife to find when she came home, he lived his life with joy and appreciation for personal connections and making others feel loved and happy.

Andy’s optimism knew no bounds, and he appreciated nature, family, and personal connections. He had a knack for picking up conversations with anyone he met, listening deeply, and remembering details for the next time he might bump into them. With his siblings, he was a lifelong UConn Huskies and Celtics fan and took his family and friends to many games over the years.

Appreciated by his children as the best dad ever, he taught by modeling his love for the outdoors and his endless creative energy. Nightly bedtime stories that sometimes went far into the realm of wild imagination, birthday cakes in shapes and designs representing the recipient’s current passions, and more treasure hunts and explorations that could ever be cataloged. As Grampy, he carried that onto his grandchildren, Jacob and Izzy, who had decades of his kindness and warmth as well as pancakes and sleepovers. His first great-grandchild will arrive in October and most certainly benefit from the love he left invested before his death.

Andy was always active. When his daughter and son-in-law gifted him an entry to a local triathlon, he gamely trained and continued participating in triathlons. Andy ran many road races, including this year’s Mount Washington Road Race. His final race, which he did joyfully, was a 5k with family and friends the day before he died. He continued to surf, gravel bike, row, and SUP and was active almost daily.

Andy and his beloved wife, Diane, shared a life full of adventure, spending countless hours exploring the rugged beauty of the remote Southwest and traveling the world together. Their love for nature and the outdoors was reflected in their annual volunteer work as backcountry interpretive rangers for the National Park Service in Canyonlands National Park, where they dedicated their time to helping others appreciate the wonders of the wilderness they held so dear.

Andy was a loving husband who made his surviving wife, Diane Dusini, feel that love daily. He is survived by his children, Carrie McCusker (his son-in-law Tom Brady), Erinn McCusker, Ethan McCusker, and their mother, Deborah McCusker. Andy’s son Andrew McCusker, V (“Tupper”), tragically predeceased him. He leaves behind a legacy of two grandchildren, Jacob Brady (his wife Kali and soon-to-arrive great-grandchild) and Isabel Brady. In addition, he leaves behind his mother-in-law, Dollie Ash, brother-in-law Paul Dusini (his wife Karen), and brother-in-law Stephen Ash (his wife Gabi).

Andy was the oldest of eight children of Marion (“Skippy”) and Andrew J. McCusker, III. He is survived by an incredible bunch of seven siblings with whom he was very close: Michael McCusker (his wife Polly Anderson), Pam Mori (her husband Dominic), Robert McCusker, Eileen Rauch (her husband Michael), Kevin McCusker (his partner Janice Shaughnessy), Cynthia Kluetz, and Carole Langlais (her husband Charles). He is also survived by his aunts, Sister Patricia Cook, RSM, PhD, and Kathleen Silverman (her husband Sidney Silverman); as well as many nieces, nephews; and now grand-nieces and grandnephews.

Andy’s life will be celebrated on Saturday, Sept. 14, at noon at his home at 26 Woodside Drive, Scarborough, Maine. The event will be outdoors and casual, just as Andy would have enjoyed.

In place of flowers, donations may be made in Andy’s memory to the Scarborough Land Trust, whose Pleasant Hill Preserve was Andy’s favorite and frequent place to trail run.

Donations are online or by mail to:

P.O. Box 1237

Scarborough, ME 04070