Andrea Ingeborg Beall-Rizzo, of Park Ridge, Illinois, passed away in her home on Friday, May 21, 2021, after a long battle with breast cancer. Her loving family was at her side. She was 56 years old.
Andrea was born on September 10, 1964, in Beloit, Wisconsin, to Lawrence and Annemarie (Brand) Beall and raised in Chicago. She enrolled at The Willows Academy during its early years and graduated in 1982. She matriculated at Northwestern University and graduated in 1987 with a degree in Industrial Engineering. Andrea then joined the Chicago Tribune and worked there for the next 18 years in various capacities. While at the Tribune, she earned an MBA in Finance from the Kellogg School of Business in 1993. She joined RJ Reynolds in 2011 and worked there until several weeks before her passing.
While at Northwestern, Andrea met Mark Rizzo and they married in 1990. They enjoyed travelling and renovating their house before starting a family. Their sons, Griffen, Grant, and Karl, were their greatest joys and the lights of their lives. Andrea worked on many service projects with the Park Ridge Community Women’s group, and enjoyed scrapbooking, gardening, travelling, camping with her family, and the opera. She frequented the Lyric Opera of Chicago all her life and visited often with her elderly father in his later years. Beloved by all who knew her, Andrea will be remembered for doting on her most precious treasures, her boys, and delighting in planning their adventures with them. She will be dearly missed for her friendly, thoughtful spirit, her generous heart, and an exquisite eye for beautiful homemaking.
Andrea is survived by her sons Griffen, Grant, and Karl, her brother, Scott (Jennifer), mother-in-law Merlene, aunt Helge, aunt Valinda, uncle Knut, sisters-in-law Kim (Bill) and Renee (Frank), brother-in-law Jim (Heather), many nieces and nephews—Alex, Samantha, Hannah, Sophie, and Mia, Mary, Evelyn, Sarah, Jack, and Isobel—and cousins Charlie, Ylva, Sven, Tony and Arlene. She was preceded in death by her husband and her parents.
A private funeral and inurnment will be held on Saturday, June 12, at 10:00 am, at St Mary’s Episcopal Church in Park Ridge, followed by an outdoor Celebration of Life at 11:00 across the street, under the tent sponsored by the Park Ridge Community Church.