Karin Lee Andrews (née Jones) passed away peacefully at her home in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, on Monday, July 6, 2026, surrounded by her loving family, after a fierce struggle with Parkinson’s and related illness.
Karin was an exceptional and well-respected music educator in the Maple Ridge area for over 40 years. She taught piano, music theory, and history out of her home studio, Tempo Vivo. Her passion, dedication and musicianship touched countless students, young and old, throughout her teaching career. She was a leading member of the BC Registered Music Teachers’ Association, participated in the Maple Ridge Community Choir, the Maple Ridge Concert Band and helped found the Maple Ridge Music Society concert series.
Karin was born in Calgary, Alberta, to parents Albert William Jones and Alice Grace Jones (née McNeil) on Sept. 23, 1945. She attended Elboya Elementary School and then attended Henry Wise Wood Highschool. At the University of Calgary studying for an undergraduate degree in biological sciences, she met Ronald G. Andrews and, with their marriage in 1967, she became part of the Andrews family.
Karin and Ron lived in Guelph and then spent a short time in Saskatoon, after which they moved to Maple Ridge in 1971. They established Dewdney Animal Hospital in Haney and built their own home on Thornhill. Karin then returned to school, graduating with her music degree from Douglas College and completing her ARCT–Piano Performance with the Royal Conservatory of Music. Her home studio evolved into a busy hub with up to 40 students and their families coming and going weekly over the years. Karin was still teaching up until the spring of 2024. Not only a pianist, she played the flute, timpani and French horn, while also taking up cello in more recent years.
Karin had an insatiable zest for life and an adventurous spirit. With Ron, her kids, and family and friends, she ventured into the back country, hiking and skiing, and also out on the water by canoe, wind surfer, and sea kayak. She travelled across Canada and internationally to Fiji, New Zealand, Scotland, and continental Europe as well as the US. With a love for animals, including the family’s many dogs, Karin was also an avid horseback rider, starting in her youth. She took it up again later in life, riding dressage in local horseshows, and practicing natural horsemanship.
Karin was deeply committed to her family, helping with the animal hospital and managing her own music studio while running the household. Her children were the greatest beneficiaries of her passion for learning, and she always made time to support homework, school projects, and extracurricular activities. She and Ron were among the founding families of Meadowridge School in 1985. She was also very dedicated to her granddaughter, with whom she had a close and special relationship.
Karin maintained a growth mindset throughout her life, was a committed educator and led by example. She was fierce, determined, independent, and community-minded. She had boundless energy and brought her creativity, positivity, and enthusiasm to everything she did. For Karin, anything was possible, and her spirit lives on in everyone she touched.
She was predeceased by her parents and is survived by her husband Ron Andrews, daughter Megan (Ken Cunningham) and granddaughter Qwynn; and son Lars (Sheila Cassels and son Corbin). She was deeply loved, and will be dearly missed and well-remembered by her extended family and many friends, colleagues, and students.
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In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a Music Scholarship that will be established in her name. Details to come.
A Celebration of Life will be held at a future date to be determined. A notification will be released.
Tributes submitted below will be forwarded privately to the family.
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