Andy Ockershausen, the lifelong Washingtonian and media star, died Wednesday with his wife by his side. News4’s Wendy Rieger shares the legacy he’ll keep.
Andy O — oh, what a life. Andy Ockershausen was one of those exuberant characters that rarely come this way. He wasn't just the life of the party. Andy was the party. There was not a moment in his life when Andy was not thrilled to be here. And we were thrilled to be here with him.
Andy Ockershausen passed away Wednesday morning at the age of 92, with his beloved wife, Janice, by his side.
A lifelong Washingtonian, Andy devoted himself to the media business. He took the helm of WMAL in the 1960s and made it a juggernaut that ruled the airwaves for decades.
His business and sales acumen was as vast as his reach. He knew everyone, and it was a joy to be at Andy's table. The Palm was his clubhouse.
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
He was a genius when it came to wit and humor, and he made everyone around him feel important and loved. His charitable work was exhaustive, and he was an expert at getting his friends to join in.
In recent years, he and his wife, Janice, created a podcast, "Our Town," in which Andy interviewed the Who's Who of hometown Washington, a place where Sonny Jurgensen and Charlie Brotman feel like next door neighbors. That was Andy's Washington.
Andy's passing is a supernova for our town, an exploding star: a last flash of brilliance that was Andy O.
