Aug. 16, 1989 — Aug. 11, 2025
Amanda Emmanuella Andersen, Mandy to all who knew her, was born to Livia Genise and Tobias Andersen at Ashland Hospital on Aug. 16, 1989.
Both of her parents were actors and (un?)fortunately she followed them into the business. She graduated from Ashland High School and went on to graduate from the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, where she first met Valerie Rochelle, the artistic director of the Oregon Cabaret Theatre. After graduation she returned to Ashland, where she starred in a number of shows at the Camelot Theatre Company in Talent, including “The Last Five Years” and the title role of “Gigi.” Mandy was a Shakespeare teacher for four summers with Camelot Conservatory and Camelot at Southern Oregon University.
In January of 2010, she fell in love for the first time and moved to Portland, where she moved in with her romantic partner. Together they adopted her first family pet, a beautiful kitten named Roxy, aka The Fat One. Mandy appeared in many Portland theater productions and found a mentor and friend in Wade McCollum. She starred in the film “Mandarose” in 2013 and was also heavily involved with Oregon Practice Shakespeare during the summers.
On Dec. 30, 2014, Mandy made the courageous decision to quit drinking alcohol. She began attending recovery meetings, where she quickly became a vital member of the Portland Recovery Community.
Mandy dedicated herself to personal growth and was well known for bringing a playfulness and levity to difficult and painful topics that was always delivered with compassion and empathy. Having struggled with the concept of a higher power, Mandy settled with that higher power being defined as the loving connection between herself and others, and she allowed herself to be fully guided by that love. As she grew in her recovery, she discovered that Recovery Dharma more closely aligned with her values and, as she had done in her previous recovery circles, she brought her wisdom, strength, hope, and helpful spirit into her work with those who were struggling in their own recovery.
Mandy was dedicated to learning and growing so that she could, as she put it, be a ripple in the pond that expanded out to shores she’d never see. As part of that dedication to being helpful, she began working with community programs that addressed trauma and addiction-related issues. She loved to empower underserved youths by introducing them to the joys of theater with Rogue Pack, where she inspired and nurtured teens in recovery and in incarceration. She also worked with returning female vets of the war in Iraq and with the parents of children with autism. At p:ear in Portland, she worked with queer youths experiencing homelessness. She even began learning sign language so she could become a translator. Her boundless heart always went out to marginalized and underserved populations.
In August of 2016, she found her doggie soul mate, the perfect little gentleman, Puck Rackham, at the Southern Oregon Humane Society. They could often be seen together, Puck in his bowtie jaunting around NW Portland, enjoying a tasty beverage at Coffee Time, and singing silly karaoke songs with Mandy’s many, many friends at all of her favorite Portland venues. She especially loved Karaoke From Hell, which is karaoke with a live band.
In 2016, Mandy got her first professional theater contract, starring as Ruthie and as a member of the ensemble in “Batboy, the Musical,” and as Janet in “Rocky Horror Show” at the Oregon Cabaret Theatre. She reprised the role of Janet for the next two Halloweens. Later in 2016, she starred as Dale Arden in “Flash Ah-Ahhhh!, a Queen schlock opera. She even ventured into directing, most notably when she directed “Sylvia” by A.R. Gurney at Readers Theatre in Gresham, Oregon, in March of 2019.
In May of 2019 she moved to Chicago, where she appeared as a background extra in many film productions and TV shows, including “Chicago MED,” “Chicago PD” and “Empire.” She was a featured character in an episode of “Work in Progress” on Showtime.
During the first year of the pandemic, Mandy moved back home to Ashland and decided to go back to school to study to become a therapist. In the summer of 2021, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, but she didn’t let that stop her from continuing her studies or her dedication to helping others. She joined the box office staff at the Oregon Cabaret Theatre in 2023 and was very soon promoted to box office manager. After almost two years cancer-free, she found out the cancer had metastasized to her liver. Almost a year later, Mandy was informed she had brain metastases. She had to leave her dream job at Oregon Cabaret to resume treatment. At the end of May, she bravely chose to leave treatment and enter hospice. She thought she had six months. In reality, her time with us was much too short.
Even when she was in pain, she brought joy and warmth to others and cracked jokes to make us laugh. She was always playful and she loved so fiercely. She left us to go on to her next adventure at 4:13 a.m. Aug. 11 while in her mother’s arms and surrounded by her friends and doggie family. She is survived by her mother, Livia, her sister Genevieve, her doggie son Puck, her five cousins, her uncles and aunts and by all the people whose lives she touched in her 35 years.
Mandy often said: “I am an intergalactic force for good.” Thank you, Mandy, for bringing your light into our darkness when we needed it most.
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