Bondsman sought to aid poor
Andy Andriole ran his L.B. bail company for 50 years.
By Kelly Puente, Staff writer
Article Launched: 12/12/2007 08:32:11 PM PST
LONG BEACH - Andy Andriole had an unwavering trust in his fellow man.
As a bail bondsman in Long Beach for more than 50 years, he would often bail out risky people just to give them a second chance, said his son, Guy Andriole. He would let neighborhood kids swim in his pool, and was also known for giving clothing and money to the homeless.
"I'll do anything to help the poor kids," he told the Press-Telegram in 1993, after donating $10,000 to build a playground on Magnolia Avenue. "I come from a very poor family, and I've been on my own since I was 8 years old, so I know what it's like to not have things like a park."
Andy Andriole, a longtime Long Beach resident and former owner of Andy's Bail Bonds on Broadway, died of natural causes in his Carson home on Dec. 5. He was 90.
Andriole was born in Pittsburg, Penn., on May 23, 1917. He came from a poor family with 12 children, and often had to shovel snow in driveways to help put dinner on the table, said his son.
"He never forgot where he came from," Guy added.
Andriole served in the Air Force for 25 years and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel.
He moved to Long Beach in the 1940s and later started Andy's Bail Bonds, which was right next to the Long Beach Police Department on Broadway.
Andriole and his son also owned a popular restaurant together on Broadway and Magnolia Avenue called The Hung Jury.
Guy would later take over his father's bail bond business after his retirement in the early 1990s. But even at the age of 90, Andriole would still drive down to help out his son.
"I couldn't get rid of him," Guy said, laughing. "He was a wonderful father. We worked together for 25 years."
Andriole had his fair share of stories, said friend Angel Vargas Jr.
Among his favorites is a story about one of his repeat customers, a socialite from Colorado who used to frequent Long Beach bars with a large blue parrot sitting on her shoulder.
The woman tended to drink a few too many and sometimes got herself arrested. Her bird would usually wind up in the custody of animal control.
The last time he bailed the woman out of jail, Andriole agreed to drive her to animal control to pick up the bird.
As soon as the woman got there, Andriole recalled the parrot saying, "Where you been? You been in jail again?"
The house he shared with his wife of 60 years, Mildred E. Andriole, was known throughout the neighborhood as the "Hershey's House" because the family would give out whole Hershey bars every Halloween.
Vargas said he and dozens of neighborhood kids would swim in their pool and were always welcome to raid the refrigerator.
"It was like a second home," Vargas said. "They were always so welcoming. But that's just the kind of man Andy was. It didn't matter who you were, he treated every human being with respect.
"Andy was a friend to the world."
Patricia Rodriguez, who once ran her own professional caregiving business, watched over Andriole and his wife until their last days. Mildred passed away on Sept. 22, 2006.
"I had already retired from my business when Andy asked for me, but I couldn't say no to him," Rodriguez said.
Up until this year, Andriole, who was always proud of his military service, volunteered regularly at the Long Beach VA, she said.
When Andriole would sometimes say he didn't need care, Rodriguez would bring out his old Air Force uniform.
"I would show it too him and he would cry," she said. "And I would say, `Look at this Andy! You took care of so many people. You deserve it."'
Andriole is survived by his son Guy; daughter Tanya Ottow; grandsons Rocky and Dylan Ottow; granddaughter Shannon Freeman; great-grandchildren, Jesa, Ava and Corra Freeman and Skyer and Audrey Ottow. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday at St. Lucy's Church, 2344 Cota Ave., Long Beach.
kelly.puente@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1305
