Gwendolyn Jessie Andrews heard the sweet voice of her Heavenly Father beckoning her to come home to eternal rest on Monday, March 10, 2025.

Born in Mobile, Alabama September 2, 1932 to Willie Jessie and Bernestine McCreary Jessie. She was the oldest of two. Her late sister Joycelyn Jessie Bufford was her dearest and most treasured friend before her passing.

She matriculated in the Alabama school system graduating at the tender age of 16. She attended the prestigious HBCU, Tuskegee University where she met the love of her life, the late William Henry Andrews, I.

In 1948, she entered the first nursing program in the state of Alabama where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing in 1953. Attaining this goal was not an easy task. There were no hospitals in the state of Alabama that were willing to take the brilliant African American nursing students but Yale University opened its doors and allowed the nursing students to study and perform their clinical training in New Haven. After graduation she joined Winston Salem State University then known as Winston Salem's Teachers College as a nursing instructor.

In 1960, she received her Masters from UNC of Chapel Hill and attended the hospital administration program at Duke University. In 1970 she became acting Dean of WSSUs Nursing School. Later that year she became the Director of Nursing at Kate Bitting Reynolds Memorial Hospital before joining Baptist Hospital as associate Director of Nursing. In 1973 she was promoted to Director of Nursing later to be named Vice President of Nursing Services. She was a true trailblazer. The Board of Trustees at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, recognized this and established the Gwendolyn Andrews Scholarship for aspiring nursing students. She worked tirelessly for the education and equality for her nurses until her retirement in 1990.

She was a faithful member of First Baptist Church and a member of Phi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

She is survived by her son William Henry Andrews II of Winston-Salem, NC, a daughter Joya Andrews Coleman and son in law Herbert Coleman, of Miami, FL; five grandchildren David Michael Andrews of Columbia, MD, Kimberly Joi Andrews of Charlotte, NC, Jade Coleman and Emmanuel Coleman of Miami, FL and Herbert Coleman II of Los Angeles, CA; two great grandchildren, Ma' Kai Andrews of Charlotte, NC and Jamia Berassa of Miami, FL. And a host of nieces, nephews and loving friends.

Public viewing will be from 12:00 PM until 6:00 PM, Tuesday, March 18, 2025 at Clark S. Brown & Sons Funeral Home. Funeral service 11:30 AM Wednesday, March 19, 2025 at First Baptist Church, 700 Highland Avenue, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27101. The family will greet friends thirty-minutes prior to service. Interment in Evergreen Cemetery.