Andrew Lee Kotalik

Andrew Lee Kotalik, age 30, of Yankton, South Dakota, died Tuesday, July 16, 2024, as a result of a motor vehicle accident.

Funeral services will be 2:30 PM on Saturday, July 20, 2024, at Calvary Baptist Church in Yankton, South Dakota, with Reverend Rick Slattery officiating. Burial will be in the Yankton Cemetery in Yankton. Visitation is from 5:00 to 7:00 PM on Friday, July 19, 2024, at Calvary Baptist Church in Yankton with a prayer service at 7:00 PM. Arrangements are under the direction of the Wintz & Ray Funeral Home in Yankton, South Dakota.

Pallbearers will be Oliver Kotalik, Austin Davis, David Friedenbach, Aaron Friedenbach, Andrew Schuster, Chris Stucky, Jordan Johnson, Anthony Wiener, Nicholas Brabec, and Dustin Knutson. Honorary pallbearers will be Ben Papstein, Gabe Leonard, Curtiss Steiner, Caleb Steiner, Kendall Kozak, Carissa Sayler, Emily Davis, and Savannah Brabec.

Andrew Lee Kotalik was born February 9, 1994, in Yankton, South Dakota, to Tim and Laura (Wright) Kotalik. He grew up and attended school in Yankton and graduated from Yankton High School in 2012. While in high school, Andrew enjoyed playing hockey and baseball. He then attended Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Nebraska, graduating with a degree in criminal justice. While in college, he began working at Mike Durfee State Prison in Springfield, South Dakota as an intern. Once he graduated, he continued working at the prison as a correctional officer and earned the rank of lieutenant. In 2016, he was blessed with his precious daughter, Avery Lynn, who is the light of his life. He married Camille Friedenbach on October 7, 2023, at Calvary Baptist Church in Yankton.

Andrew was a fun-loving guy who had a great sense of humor and loved telling stories and joking around with people. He was a patient man with a heart of gold and was always there to lend a helping hand. He always had a project, whether it was working on cars or putting something together, he was always doing something. He enjoyed riding motorcycles, shooting guns or anything that would explode or start on fire. But above everything else, he loved his family. He always wanted to have a big family and loved being a dad to his daughter, Avery. He adored his wife, Cami and would do anything for her. He was taken much too soon and will be greatly missed.

Survivors include his wife, Camille Kotalik of Yankton; daughter, Avery Kotalik of Yankton; parents, Tim and Laura Kotalik of Yankton; grandmother, Nina Wright of Yankton; siblings: Oliver and Elsie Kotalik of Yankton; father and mother-in-law, Robert and Jean Friedenbach of Yankton; sisters-in-law: Jasmine (Sean) Geverts of Fort Collins, Colorado and Laurel Friedenbach of Yankton; brothers-in-law: David Friedenbach of Yankton and Aaron Friedenbach of Lincoln, Nebraska; grandparents-in-law: Gerald and Pat Harts of Yankton and Dale and Margaret Friedenbach of Bloomfield, Nebraska.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents: Erwin and Grace Kotalik and Richard Wright; and 2 uncles: Steven and Paul Kotalik.