Andrea Merrell was tough and brave, put the safety of others first and had a lifelong commitment to helping and protecting others, say those who loved her.

The 43-year-old North Branch woman died last month after being attacked by a patient during her Christmas Day shift as a security guard at M Health Fairview Hospital in Wyoming, Minn. She had worked there since April. Along with working at the hospital, Merrell also worked in loss prevention at a Cambridge Fleet Farm since 2021.

“Helping and serving others was simply who she was,” said friends Heather Miller and Pam Heaton in a joint statement. “Andrea Merrell was one of the kindest and most selfless people we have ever known.”

Left to right: Andrea Merrell, Heather Miller and Pam Heaton together on Christmas 2024 in Stacy, Minn. (Courtesy of Heather Miller)

The trio met in a high school band class 30 years ago in Chisago City and had been “inseparable” since then, Heaton and Miller said. The three graduated in 2001.

Friend Troy Schmidt said that Merrell was a friend to everyone, and was tough, brave and put everyone else’s safety first.

“She gave so much to others,” he said. “She was one in a million and her passing has left a huge hole in the hearts of those who loved her and made the world a lot less brighter.”

Merrell also “deeply loved” her three cats, who were like children to her, and also treated her friends’ children like her own, Heaton and Miller said.

Cassi Lorey said when Merrell dated her father several years ago, the two formed a close relationship.

“She became a very special person to me,” Lorey said. From the day Lorey and her siblings met Merrell, the older woman showed them “grace, love, kindness” and care.

The two shared many fishing adventures together and spent countless nights laughing and talking about life, she said.

“I couldn’t ask for a better hero in my life, someone I’d look up to (because) no matter how many curves got thrown at Andrea, she persevered (and) showed me that you will make it and it will be (OK) at the end of the day. … She was someone I could feel safe with and never have to question if she would have my back.”

Merrell’s death leaves an aching hole that can never be filled, Miller and Heaton wrote.

“We carry a million happy memories with us, but life will never be the same without her. Andrea was our best friend, and we miss her more than words can say,” the two friends wrote.

Authorities say that police were called to the Wyoming hospital on Dec. 25 after a man on a medical hold ran away. Authorities found Merrell unconscious in the parking lot and the patient, Jonathan Chet Winch, 35, of Chisago City, nearby. Winch allegedly told police, “I didn’t mean to hurt her.”

Merrell later died of her injuries.

Winch was charged with one count of second-degree murder and is being held in lieu of $2 million bail.

An online fundraiser in Merrell’s honor had raised more than $8,200 as of Saturday afternoon.

Merrell’s memorial service is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 11, at the Lindstrom Community Center at 13292 Sylvan Ave. in Lindstrom.

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