Andy Upchurch

"There's a storm across the valley, clouds are rollin' in.

 The afternoon is heavy on your shoulders.

 There's a truck out on the four lanes, a mile or more away.

 The whinin' of his wheels just makes it colder.

Hey, it's good to be back home again.

 Sometimes this old farm feels like a long-lost friend.

 Yes, and hey, it's good to be back home again."

Imagine for a moment you could close your eyes, click your heels, whisper under your breath, “There’s no place like home,” and then find yourself on a farm in the Midwest. But no, you're not in Kansas-this is Ohio’s heartland. Purchased straight out of high school, the land was my dad's piece of heaven. He tilled the fields, dug out a bass pond and raised a slew of collies and ducks.

Dad filled our world with country life as he taught us to hunt, put a worm on a hook, and build a fire. In the winter, he would bend tall prairie grass, packing the outside with snow to build an igloo so we could snuggle inside as he told stories about his grandma and growin’ up. Sundays were spent in church, followed by long drives on gravel roads, and afternoons playing softball with cousins. Farm life had its struggles and twisters, but Dad paid it no mind. He had left the city and become a country boy.

Our Dad, Robert Andrew Marvin Upchurch, was born in Dayton, Ohio, in 1937, to Charles Merch and Cleo Mae Upchurch. He went by the nickname Andy. Dad played football at Wilbur Wright High School in Dayton, Ohio, where he met the love of his life, Donna Esta Clem, and they married in 1957. He was a very humble man but generous with his time and money to anyone who needed a helping hand. He was a very hard-working man. He started his first big job at McCalls Magazine, later known as Dayton Press, in Dayton, Ohio, around 1958. After graduating from high school with his new bride, they built a house and settled on an eight-acre plot of land we called the farm. Dad and Mom were very active in their church, and Dad was known to many as a rock because of his work ethic and character, which made him seem at times like a superhero. Because of his love of God, family and country, his two children would go on to walk in his footsteps in faith, work ethic, and the love of family as they grew up in Xenia, Ohio. He was married to his loving wife, Donna Esta Upchurch (Clem), for 64 years. She preceded him in peace in 2021, and sadly, our Dad passed away on February 23, 2025. He's survived by his two children and their spouses: Rebecca Ann Holihan (Upchurch) and husband, Dan Holihan, his son Robert Andrew Upchurch-or Little Andy, as he was fondly called- and his wife, Haydee Upchurch. Dad had many grandchildren: Michael Smith and his wife Amy, Logan Smith and his wife Sarah, Taylor Smith, Olivia Smith and Emily, Charity Rae Upchurch and Chastity Lane Bravo, Ryan Andrew Upchurch, and Haylie Marie Esta Upchurch. Then there are those great grandkids: Kenzie, Raphael, Elijah James, Leah Joy, Ivy Andrew, Jenna Rose, and the Conley clan. Dad was loved by so many and will truly be missed by all the people he had touched, including his beloved nephew Chris Upchurch and many other nieces and nephews: Joella, Naoka, Tonya, Chuck, Bob, Joe, Cathy, Julie, Diane, Tony, and brother-in-law, Ray.

We grew up playing in fields, walking across covered bridges to get to school, and cherishing our time watching dad on a tractor...or his horse. Though he has left his land, we know he couldn’t’ be happier. As long as dad is with mom...he’s home.

"He's an hour away from ridin' on your prayers up in the sky.

 Ten days on the road are barely gone.

 There's a fire softly burning, supper's on the stove.

 It's the light in your eyes that makes him warm.

Hey, it's good to be back home again.

 Sometimes this old farm feels like a long-lost friend.

 Yes, and hey, it's good to be back home again."

Visitation will be held from 2:00pm-4:00pm, on Saturday, March 22, 2025, at Newcomer Funeral Home, 3380 Dayton-Xenia Rd., Beavercreek, where a Memorial Service will begin at 4:00pm. 

The family kindly requests that in lieu of flowers, please consider sending and evergreen, fern or houseplant for the service, or a donation in Andy's honor (he loved Israel!) to the Chabad of Greater Dayton, 2001 Far Hills Avenue, Dayton, OH, 45419, (https://www.chabaddayton.com). 

To share a memory of Andy or leave a special message for his family, please visit the Guestbook below.