N. Philly family man slain after having 'finally arrived' in life

MANNY ANDRADE surrounded himself with flowers.

At work, at home, everywhere he went. Even now, brightly colored geraniums line the sidewalk in front of his house in North Philly.

They're in bloom, growing, just as Andrade was. He told friends in recent months that he had "finally arrived" in life: a marriage, a home he renovated himself, a schedule that allowed him to eat dinner with his family every night.

But two heartless punks took all of that away, gunning down a family man on his way home from work.

"I hope people remember what an amazing man he was," Nadine Louw said of Andrade, who worked with her at Flowers & Co., her shop in Center City. "We just have to do something about crime: An innocent man was shot over a wallet that wasn't even taken."

Andrade, 36, was shot in the abdomen by two unidentified gunmen during a botched robbery Friday night, police said.

He had finished up his shift at the flower shop, telling Louw to enjoy her weekend. He rode the bus north, getting off at Ridge Avenue, about two blocks from his front door.

Not long after 7 p.m., as he neared his home, two men pulled him aside. They flashed a gun, ordered him to hand over his valuables.

Andrade refused. They shot him once, police said.

He staggered, collapsing inside the doorway of his home, where officers found him moments later.

Medics took Andrade to Hahnemann University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:47 p.m.

Investigators last night had no further description of the men who killed Andrade - he hadn't recognized them.

But Louw doesn't care about them, aside from seeing them behind bars. Instead, she's focused on honoring the man who she said was a driving force in her business.

"He was only here for a short time," she said. "But it's amazing how much it changed because of him."

Customers asked for Andrade by name, she said, and were devastated to hear of his fate.

In nearly two years at Flowers & Co., Andrade went from preparing bouquets and taking orders to helping build arrangements at weddings and corporate events.

The job marked a turning point for Andrade, Louw said. Gone were the days when he had to juggle jobs, working odd hours to support his wife, Juana; her stepdaughter, 17; and their daughter, who turned 2 while Pope Francis was in town.

He and Juana married at the beginning of the summer after being together for more than a decade.

"He wanted to spend more time with his family, and we made that a reality for him," Louw said. "He didn't have to work nine jobs to keep a roof over his head."

He was the go-to problem-solver in an "office full of girls," Louw said: a shelf-hanger, furniture-builder and all-around maintenance man.

And he did it all with a smile.

"He was so humble, so nice," Louw said. "Nothing got him down. He taught me how to be kind."

Louw and co-workers looked forward to the vegetables Andrade would share with them, a bounty from his tiny backyard garden in North Philly.

They teared up yesterday when they found the chili peppers he'd brought in Friday morning, Louw said.

As proud as he was of his green thumb, Andrade's true joy came from his home, which had been "just a shell" when he bought it, she said. He put in long hours after his shifts at the flower shop, and would document his progress with pictures.

Louw remembered marveling at the back yard and seating area he built, hand-pouring the concrete himself.

It's just a small piece of the legacy he leaves behind for his family. They declined a request for comment last night.

Andrade will be laid to rest in his native Ecuador following a viewing Friday and a funeral service Saturday at Bachelor Brothers, 7112 N. Broad St., Louw said.

She's collecting donations for his family through GoFundMe. Visit http://ph.ly/Wx2WM for more information.

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