Mr. Andrew N. Meccariello

“Wanted his illness and struggle to be a lesson for others”

BROWNSVILLE TX - On Thursday, March 23, 2023, Andrew Nicholas Meccariello of West Palm Beach, Florida, passed away peacefully at Valley Regional Medical Center in Brownsville, Texas after losing a long and determined but grueling battle with addiction. Opioids were his primary downfall but what finally took his life was his struggle with Kratom, a natural, legal, widely available substance, which he used to curb his opioid cravings. It was Kratom addiction that led him to seek treatment in Texas where he was found unresponsive and went into cardiac arrest a few hours after arriving at the recovery center on March 13, 2023.

In the past several years, Andrew successfully completed many treatment programs and spent a significant amount of time sober and independent – he was working two jobs, one at Express Car Wash in Boca Raton, the other at Aloha Detox in Delray Beach. Andrew was always willing to help others in recovery and volunteered to be an AA sponsor. Andrew would want his story to be told to help you or someone you love who may be dealing with a similar struggle or just to help educate those who do not yet understand. If you are judging or think this epidemic does not impact you, please do some research. Open your heart and mind. The shame and guilt associated with this disease must be eliminated.

His family and friends had so much hope for Andrew, and although he fought hard and really wanted to live a healthy life, Andrew sometimes gave in to his demons to get through the hard times, recent events include the death of his grandmother and a painful hernia surgery but always went back to treatment to get back on track. He was a very private person and didn’t like to talk about how he was feeling or what problems he may have been facing.

There was so much more to Andrew than his addiction. He loved music and attending live events, going to the beach, snowboarding in Vermont, golfing with his friends, family vacations on Cape Cod and so much more. He was a joy to be around, smart, hard-working, funny, sweet and kind. He lit up the room. He was loved.

Andrew was born in Waterbury, CT on June 17, 1983, attended Glastonbury High School, graduated with honors from Manchester Community College with an AS in Accounting and attended Central Connecticut State University in pursuit of a BS in Finance.

Left to cherish his memory are his son, Vin Harrison of New Britain, his mother, Diane Meccariello of Watertown, his aunts, Eileen Roberts and Becky Galian, his uncle, Michael Petro-Roy all of Waterbury and several cousins and his many friends. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Mario and Jean Petro-Roy of Watertown.

A celebration of Andrew’s life will be held on Thursday, April 13, 2023, at Casey’s Eastside Memorial Funeral Home and Cremation Care, 1987 East Main St., Waterbury, at 9:30 a.m. until the procession leaves at 10:45 to Mary Mother of the Church Parish, SS Peter and Paul Church, 67 Southmayd Rd., Waterbury, to celebrate a Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 a.m. Burial will follow in Mt. Olivet Cemetery, 669 Platt Road, Watertown, CT. To honor Andrew’s memory, contributions may be made to Recovery Church Delray, 400 N. Swinton Avenue, Delray Beach, FL 33444, or online at www.recovery.church .