Local News
Cyclist who died after being hit by a car in Coralville donates organs to save the lives of others
CORALVILLE, Iowa -A cyclist who died after a car hit him in Coralville last month has helped to save lives after his death. Andy Pavlovec was just 36-years-old.
“This whole ordeal’s just been tragic but we all love him and we miss him,” said Daniel Jackson, Andy’s friend.
When Andy died, he left behind two sons, Evan who will be 14 on Sunday, and Riehle who is 11. His family said he adored his boys.
“He went to the parks, he loved to cook, he was teaching them how to cook,” said Vicki Pavlovec, Andy’s mom.
Andy also left behind a tight-knit family including two older brothers.
“The was a lot of love there,” said Matt Pavlovec, Andy’s brother.
“He was like that kid brother we were always you know kind of messing with,” said Ryan Pavlovec.
In addition to his family, Andy left behind friends that were like family.
“You have that next level of friendship and that’s who he was for me,” Jackson said.
“He made such an impact on not only me but on so many people,” said Suzy Cousin, who grew up with Andy.
The larger-than-life presence he had, and the impact he made while he was here makes it hard for loved ones to comprehend life without Andy.
“I know we’ll get through it somehow leaning on each other but it’s just hard to imagine right now,” said Dan Pavlovec, Andy’s dad.
Recycling was important to Andy and something he instilled in his kids, so it wasn’t too surprising for his family to learn he was a registered organ donor.
Andy’s liver, heart, kidneys, and lungs were used in five life-saving transplants.
There’s no question on the amount of impact Andy made on those he knew.
“He was one of the voices that was helping me think through, am I being the kind of dad I want to be? Am I being the kind of husband I should be,” said Russ Goerend, Andy’s cousin.
But he also made an impact on those he will never know.
“Part of him lives on for those people. And so he isn’t living on the way we would have chosen, but it does mean a lot that he wanted to give that gift to help other people,” Vicki said.
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