Mrs. Vanessa Lynn Andrews, 41, of Elkhart, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, November 30, 2021 at 7:38 am at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Mishawaka. She had been battling health complications for some time.

She was born in South Bend on November 7, 1980 to the late Ronnie Lee Brooks and Karen S. (Harman) Brooks, who survives her in Elkhart. Also surviving is her loving husband Scott F. Andrews; sons Talon (Brianna) Hawkey of South Bend and Alexander (Andreya) Miller, who is currently stationed in Lakenheath, England as a 1st Class Airman with the United States Air Force; brothers Marty Bigler of Elkhart, Lanz Brooks of San Francisco, California, Ronnie Brooks of Chicago, Illinois and Jamie Dunkin of Goshen; sister Jade (John) Brooks of Charlotte, North Carolina, and grandson Carson Hawkey. Vanessa is also survived by a host of loving extended family and good friends. Along with her dad, Vanessa is preceded in death by her sister, Heidi C. Bigler.

Vanessa worked for many years in data entry and computer technology, but her lingering health issues required an early retirement. Not to be disappointed or deterred, Vanessa simply found other ways to keep herself active. Over time, she developed a great love for designing arts and crafts, as it kept her busy and her mind sharp. She especially liked doing vinyl designs, diamond painting and painting by numbers; and, in fact, she had become quite talented as time went along. She also enjoyed baking and was always keen on putting a smile on someone's face with a custom designed cake or a huge batch of decorated cupcakes.

Obviously, her family was the center of her little universe, and she loved them dearly. It was known that Vanessa had a decidedly huge heart, and she appreciated being surrounded by those she loved the most; including a sweet rescued pittie named Max and three rather indifferent feline overlords named Gemma, Loki and Squirrel. She also was an avid movie aficionado, with horror and animated movies being among her favorites. In fact, this would be about the time of year she would be getting out "A Nightmare Before Christmas", which was a seasonal favorite of hers. She also loved "The Last Unicorn", which was a childhood classic and "Alice in Wonderland" which she felt represented her life in many ways. Among her other loves were hunting for rocks and fossils, maintaining her saltwater aquarium, thunderstorms, treasure hunts and murder-mystery shows. She was also a huge fan of Halloween, enjoyed skull art, celebrating the supernatural and practicing Wicca, an ancient belief based on seasonal and life cycles.

All in all, Vanessa lived, laughed and loved as well as she could, and appreciated every day that was given to her. She has a smile and a laugh that could light up a room, and many friends and family would often count on Vanessa's presence in their lives in order to keep them going as well. But mostly, Vanessa remained content rejoicing in the love shared with Scott, her boys, grandson and family. Her loving memory will remain in their hearts always and forever.

Billings Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Elkhart is hosting Vanessa's Gathering of Friends and Family on Wednesday, December 15, 2021 from 4-6 pm. No formal service has been scheduled and, in accordance with her wishes, cremation has taken place.

Memorial donations may be given to:

The Facial Pain Association, 4600 SW 34th Street #141592, Gainesville, FL 32614, which supports funding and research for ending Trigeminal Neuralgia, which afflicted Vanessa. Or you may go to their link to donate directly.

Or to "Tracking in the Shadows" animal rescue, at:   https://www.paypal.me/TrackingInTheShadows     ( Full Address:    https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_donations&business=Trackingintheshadows@gmail.com&item_name=Tracking%20In%20The%20Shadows¤cy_code=USD).

Friends and relatives are encouraged to read the obit and leave condolences, memories and/or pictures of Vanessa by clicking "Tribute Wall" on her obituary page on the funeral home's website and then following the prompts.