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To Chris, Ryan & Brendan,In the ten months that I had the wonderful opportunity to work for Liz as her assistant, I was fortunate to get to know her professionally and personally. From the first day I met her she had an impact on me and I truly admired her and loved her. She was a remarkable woman and had this calming, sincere warm way about her that made you feel so comfortable talking and working with her. I always enjoyed our conversations in the morning and enjoyed listening to her talk about her boys. She always had a special way about her when talking about her family. You could just see the love she had for them. You could see the way people related to her and how she had a strong impact on our team. She fit right into the Avon world. I could really see the strong leader that she was. She would always take the time out to thank me for helping her out. I’ll always remember on one of her Radio Shows that she did while announcing her new organization team she included me and mentioned my name and thanked me for all my support to her and the team. She always made you feel so appreciated. I’ll never forget the morning I came in on Valentines Day and she surprised me, and left on my desk a special picked box of home made chocolates that she brought from back home in Georgia, with a special Valentines card. I remember her warning me about the one with the red top that it could be a little hot or spicy. Boy, she was right. She was extremely thoughtful. One last thing I would like to share that really touched my heart was out of her busy traveling schedule, she thought to reach out to Debbie on our team and asked her to help organize a special team luncheon for me for Professional Administrative Day which happened to be after her passing. She said to Debbie that she wanted to make it a special day for me. This really tells you how an extraordinary woman she really was. So thoughtful and caring. We did go out as a team and made it a very special luncheon in honor of her. I was touched by this wonderful woman that came into my life and will truly miss her and keep in her my heart. My sincere condolences to you,Brenda Pioli
I will always remember how kind and caring Liz was. No matter how busy she was, she would always take the time to sit and listen to you. I remember one stressful day I was having, which I guess I was wearing all over my face. Liz happened to be walking by my office and looked at me and just stopped, sat down and talked with me about what was going on. I'm not sure exactly where she was going when she stopped to speak with me, but she gave me her full attention, providing me with just the right comfort and advice.She was incredibly smart and articulate, picking things up quickly, really making an impact at Avon during her short time here.– Carla Jimolka
An email from Darren Miller on April 17th after reading Donagh’s note about Liz:Donagh – I am on vacation in Florida, but happened to peek at e-mail this evening only to discover this shocking, saddening and disturbing news. I know a response is not even necessary, yet I felt a need to respond. Your characterization of Liz was very accurate and I can only say it was a privilege to have worked with her for the 9 months that I did. I will miss her very much. – DarrenAnd April 21st:I had to smile when I read Fernando's mention of my Liz "glue graphic"... I am glad that has become an item of good feeling and memory, even though completely done for humor at the time... interesting how things like that come back during bad times as a reminder of the good times... Darren
My Work/Personal Relationship with Liz AndrusWhen Liz first joined Avon it was an instant attraction of a Work/Personal Relationship. She came with such an open attitude non threatening and did what ever she could to know each of us one on one. My conversations with her will always be remembered. She would laugh, share her best practices, and talk through what ever was happening at the time to make it work the right way. I always felt as though I could go to her foranything and she would always welcome me with open arms.I remember her saying: "I've never been hugged so much" "this is new for me", I took it as, other Companies that she worked for were more cut throat and people just didn't care they were strictly business. I assured her that this was the Avon way and she put a smile on her face and said she liked it. The night we went out for a Group Dinner was the best for me, Liz was telling us about her family and every time she mentioned her husband Chris you just saw the light in her face. I told her how much I admired her relationship and how nice it is to see that you can be married for 29 years and still look like you are a teenager in Love. Once again, she started blushing.Chris, Brendan, Ryan,I cannot express how badly I feel, It is unfortunate that God took your loved one so early, but always be thankful that you had such a Beautiful Wife, Mother that offered the world and those around her all that she could in the BEST of ways. My Sincere Condolences,Debra & Candis Pinon
The 'Glue' product with Liz photo that Darren produced has a lot of meaning for me... she was really the 'Glue' that made us more united.I will always remember her as a brilliant person which kept herself elegant and polite above all pressureand day-to-day difficulties, she was also one of the best listeners I have ever met, a leader for me is like that, someone you can learn and you can talk to with no fear of being judged.Fernando Nunes
I first met Liz in September of 2009 when I was first approached about potentially leaving my position to join Liz at Avon. Over time our conversations grew to be more frequent and she began to apply her "persuasive" tactics to entice me to leave a position I was quite happy with to join her team. Right from the start I connected with Liz's calm yet direct approach to life let alone business. What I respected about Liz was her honesty and caring personality. The recruitment process was a long one with many turns yet she remained true to her convictions over the entire process. We emailed, chatted and met several times as the process continued to unfold. I was very impressed by the way she always remained connected, following up with me after every interview to gauge my thoughts. We compared stories of when she was at Coke and I was at Estee Lauder and she gave me her thoughts about the difference we could make at Avon. I was really impressed with the Avon team and company culture but it was the potential of working for Liz that sealed it. She believed in me and pushed hard to convince me to join the team and in the end I did. We shared many experiences and even some common friends. I am truly blessed to have gotten to spend some time working for her on a daily basis. She was genuine and I truly enjoyed working for her, sharing stories/ideas and visions for the future. She had a way of keeping everything positive, was a great listener and always offered sound advice. The moments we found to share a laugh are moments I won't forget. I am heartbroken that I won't get the opportunity to spend more time working for and learning from her but am grateful for the time we had. She is a remarkable woman, will always be someone that I will respect and admire, and will be with me forever.Regards,Jim Devine
Dear Chris, Ryan and Brendan:I only had the pleasure of meeting Liz for the first time last week at the UK Conference. We only had a few minutes to speak but during these moments I was able to experience her grace, kindness and care that my other colleagues told me about. Finding out that we were compatriots even added an extra to the meeting as I am from Windsor Ontario. I thought to myself what a rarity to have two Canadians on the same multicultural team and I was so proud.I just wanted to let you know that I feel greatly honoured that I had had the chance to meet this wonderful woman in person and I know that I have been blessed.Liz was the 'breath of fresh air' that really completed our Team.My sincere condolences to you,Marta RauhofferAvon Hungary
Our team has been working with Liz for the majority of her tenure at Avon. And in that time, she proved to be a remarkable woman both professionally and personally. She was truly a leader with profound aspirations for this organization and a plan to achieve them. It was admirable how she was able to adjust so quickly to a new environment and be so impactful immediately. It was obvious in working with others at Avon that she was respected tremendously and was creating such a positive impact on this organization. She constantly sought to do things “the right way.” Some specific thoughts from our team: “It was her engaging personality that has made my time at Avon so enjoyable.” “I can’t recall a meeting I had with her during which she didn’t smile or laugh.” “She was a truly vibrant and inspiring presence that possessed remarkable leadership qualities, including intelligence, integrity, and vision.” “She didn’t make us feel like external consultants; she was outwardly grateful to each and every person working with her.” “Liz Andrus is the #1 reason I requested to continue working at Avon.” “Her professionalism, leadership, and commitment to results are, believe me, not often seen in my line of work.” “Our team adored her. We are crushed, and we will miss her greatly.”We offer my sincere condolences at this difficult time. But we hope you can see how greatly she will be missed and how she touched our lives in such a brief time.– Mike McKinney, Stefano Resta, Jeff Gibbons, Todd Musgrove, and Charlotte Piper
Dear Chris, Ryan and Brendan:Words will never be able to express my sadness at this time. I worked with Liz remotely since last summer, and then had the honor of being part of her team from the end of last year. Every now and then some of us are fortunate enough to meet and work with someone special, and Liz was truly that special person. I learned so much in such a short amount of time from Liz and her leadership style, and her qualities will stay with me. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.Milo WardAvon UK
God bless Liz’s mom and dad to share with us their beautiful daughter and let her touch our lives as starlight with her kindness, sweetness and brilliant spirit…God bless Liz’s husband to be the best friend, to fill her with love during her life, to be her support…God bless Liz’s sons to be her precious treasure and to have let her felt proud every single day…God bless Liz to keep me in true perspective what really counts each day, to be as she was and for all she will be for us… Let her sleep Let her voices cease Let her eyelids gently close Let her worries release Let her mind calm Let her heart be full of peace For she has done her best yesterday There is no more she can do … let her sleep No more tears… look behind you to bring back the memoriesWith Love Miriam and Bill Torregrossa
Dear Chris, Ryan and Brendan:I once read, "when you miss something, you realize how lucky you were to have something so precious in the first place" ..Though I had worked with Liz only for two months, she had made such an impact as a friend and mentor. It is so sad I got to work with her only for such a short time, but do feel lucky at least I had that opportunity.. She is a great listener and always reminded me about priorities of life. Rekha Ramesh
Dear Chris,I was deeply saddened to hear about the death of Liz this morning. I know that this is very difficult for Ryan, Brendan and you. You are all in my thoughts and my prayers. Liz was a special person, very kind and caring and will be greatly missed by all who knew her. I will miss her helpful advice about my work. She made me realize that I was selling myself short for being in the new role that I was in and that I was actually doing Ok. Liz made me realize that I was taking everything too seriously, comparing myself with my other colleagues who have had a head start in their roles. I remember the times when we had our conference calls in your evenings. Liz understood that I already have other calls during my nights and offered to have our calls in my mornings instead. She brought clarity to our team and I remember making the comment that she was the “light at the end of the tunnel” during our team building session last November. I was very much looking forward to seeing her again this end of April in HK.Liz has passed on to a better place now. You can take comfort and strength from the wonderful family you and she had together. I know the love within your family will get you through this sad time. May God bless you and your family during this time and always.Sarsi GoyenecheaAvon, Philippines
I’m pretty shy when I first meet people but I felt comfortable with Liz right away. She was so warm, genuine, and down to earth and made me feel completely at ease. She was always like that and made you feel like you could tell her anything. I can think of only one time when I wasn’t quite myself in her company and that was because of pizza, not Liz….Liz was in a hurry one afternoon, grabbing a slice from the cafeteria to eat at a meeting we were having. The pizza looked good, way too good as I sat across from Liz in her office. I tried not to look at it too long or too often and was hoping I wasn’t staring. At the end of the meeting, I confessed that I’d been coveting her lunch because I’d given up pizza for Lent. We had a good laugh about that.I then told her that I often have pizza for breakfast Easter morning. I saw a half smile flit across Liz’s face but only for a split second. Kind, considerate person that she always was, she didn’t want to hurt my feelings – although she was probably thinking “Wow, that is strange!” Later that week, I mentioned my traditional Easter breakfast again and asked her if she thought it was odd. “Well, a little,” she admitted with a twinkle in her eye and a smile.And that’s how I’ll remember Liz – a very special woman who was always mindful of others, a lovely person with a good sense of humor and a smile on her face. It was a true privilege and honor to have known her. I will miss her very much.May God bring you peace and comfort now and always,Sue Bone
Dear Chris, Brendan, Ryan Liz was my boss, my mentor, my friend. In the short amount of timeI knew her, I found Liz to be smart, caring, funny, kind, charismatic, and an all-around beautiful woman inside and out. I worked with her almost daily in the 10 months she was here at Avon; during that time, she has impacted my life both professionally and personally. I will miss our conversations about our families; she loved to share stories about her wonderful husband and sons. I am blessed to have met her. She will be in my heart and in my mind always.I am truly sorry for your loss. My prayers are with your entire family. May God bless you all. Tina Mulvihill
The rainbow comes and goes,And lovely is the rose;The moon doth with delightLook round her when the heavens are bare;Waters on a starry nightAre beautiful and fair;The sunshine is a glorious birth;But yet I know, where’er I go,That there hath pass’d away a gloryfrom the earth.-From “Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood”
