Andrea 'Koko' Hart Obituary (1964

Andrea Lee Hart (Koko), age 56, passed away peacefully October 31, 2020 at Cottage in The Meadow, surrounded by her family, after an inspirational and courageous battle against stage IV colon cancer. Andrea spent her childhood alongside her brothers, Rich and Chris Hart. Their favorite pastimes included many skinned knees while skateboarding and packing up the family to travel around the NW for go-kart races. Her parents, James and Karen Hart (Miller) worked hard to ensure their three children had a fun and exciting childhood, full of love and laughter. This upbringing translated into Andreas teen years, where she brought that same positive energy and joyful spirit to those around her. She had many friends who often remember her for her beautiful, big smile. She was well loved, outgoing and genuine, which landed her as the EVHS Homecoming Queen her senior year class of 1982. Andrea moved to Spokane, WA after graduating high school to continue her education. While there, she met her future husband, Kern Skinner. They married in 1984 and began a family shortly thereafter with the birth of their son, Kody Skinner in 1986 and their daughter, Kelsi Dailey (Skinner) in 1988. Andreas greatest joy in life was being a mother and raising her children with Kern. Times were not always easy, but the family always managed to persevere despite the troubles that came their way. They always made it a priority to spend as much time as possible with friends and family. This meant summers were reserved for soaking up the sun while boating and camping and winter months were enjoyed snowmobiling and spending quality time at their family cabin. The rest of their free time was typically consumed with their childrens extracurricular activities and sporting events. Andrea truly was her childrens biggest cheerleader and supporter! She was always there to watch her son Kody play baseball, basketball, and football; as well as attend all her daughter Kelsis competitive dance competitions and trips. Once Andreas children started families of their own, that is when she became "Koko". In 2008, her first two grandchildren were born 27 hours apart, Braelen (Kodys daughter) and Kaige (Kelsis son). She felt as though grandma wasnt the appropriate name for her young, hip self. So, she did some research and decided Koko was the perfect fit and has been Koko ever since. Her other grandchildren include Kodys stepdaughter Paisley (10), his twin girls Briar and Fynnlie (5), and Kelsis daughter Oaklyn (4). Koko always made her grandchildren a top priority in life. She enjoyed taking them on vacations, attending their school events, baking cookies, crafting, taking selfies and spoiling them each holiday her favorite being Christmas. Andrea fought until the very end for each additional minute so that she would not miss out on seeing her littles grow up. All while running a family, Andrea simultaneously excelled in the professional world. She made many sacrifices in her rise to success and dedicated countless hours studying and working towards her career goal to become Wealth Management Advisor V.P. at US Bancorp. Her hard work paid off and she earned her certifications as an Accredited Wealth Management Advisor and Certified Wealth Strategist. Her career was her passion and brought her immense joy! Through her work, she developed lifelong friendships and had some of her most memorable experiences. Unfortunately, at the peak of her career, her cancer forced her into retirement, but her illness could not take away all that she had accomplished in the years prior. As Im sure you can tell, Andrea was not one to sit idle long. Not only was she a mother, wife, Koko and businesswoman, she was extremely involved in many local clubs and community events, with her main focus on her health and fitness. Specifically, Andrea focused much of her energy on her involvement with The Yakima Tennis Club. The club became a huge part of Andreas life beginning in 2009 and continued to play a predominant role in her life up until she passed. She engaged in tennis tournaments near and far, numerous club events and even served as a board member. You could almost always find Andrea on the court, because she always wanted to be better than she was the day before. This rang true in every aspect of her life and applied to everything she did. Whether she was playing tennis, walking 5 miles a day, travelling around the world, being a mother, grandmother, or friend Andrea truly did it all, even though the struggles of her treatment. Andrea is survived by her son, Kody Skinner, daughter and son-in-law, Kelsi and Taylor Dailey, parents, James and Karen Hart, brother, Christopher Hart, sister-in-law, Sheri Hart (Sheddy), grandchildren, Braelen, Paisley, Briar, Fynnlie, Kaige, Oaklyn and Karl the dog! Along with numerous nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, and cousins. She is preceded in death by her brother, Rich Hart and her grandparents. The family would like to extend a sincere thank you to the staff at Cottage in The Meadow, specifically Brandi and Scott, the many different doctors and medical teams that have been involved with her treatments, specifically Dr. Silvia Labes and the oncology department at OSHU, and Kokos Tribe we are blessed to have you all! A family service will be held on November 14, 2020 at 2:00pm and will be livestreamed, due to COVID-19. To receive the link to access the livestream, please TEXT: Hart51400. Celebration of life details have been shared via Facebook. To share a memory (or any pictures), go to NOBODY FIGHTS ALONE! #TeamKoko on Facebook or at www.brooksidefuneral.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Cottage in the Meadow and sent in care of Brookside Funeral Home (PO Box 1267, Moxee, WA 98936) who is caring for the family. TO LIVE STREAM THE SERVICE, PLEASE TEXT: Hart51400 You will receive a link to watch the service. Memorial Service Stone Church Saturday, November 14, 2020 2:00 PM 3303 Englewood Avenue Yakima, WA 98902