Obituary: Andrew A. Pansini Jr.
Andrew A. Pansini Jr., former president of Jandy Industries and a pioneering force in pool automation, died on April 12, 2025.
A lifelong innovator and entrepreneur, Pansini played a defining role in shaping the pool and spa industry through his leadership at Jandy, the company founded by his father, Andrew L. Pansini, inventor of the first automatic swimming pool cleaner. Andy Jr. joined the company in the early 1970s and expanded its offerings beyond cleaners to include signature products like the Jandy valve, pool controllers and waterfalls.
His bold vision for automation culminated in the development of the AquaLink RS automation system in 1996. He was also the president and CEO of Savoy Corporation, a company his grandfather founded in 1917 as the first paid parking service in the world.
Born in San Francisco and raised in Marin County, Pansini graduated from Marin Catholic High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of San Francisco. He was deeply involved in his community, serving as past chair of the Novato Community Hospital board and Sutter Health. At the time of his death, he was serving on the boards of Sutter Care at Home and Morton & Bassett.
Pansini’s commitment to preserving family legacy was evident in his books Fathers of Invention (2017) and A Family of Invention (2020), chronicling the entrepreneurial history of the Pansini family. He also authored Coaching for Life (2020) and Beyond the Diamond (2024), drawing on more than two decades as a Little League coach and league president.
He is survived by his wife, Pam; two children, five grandchildren, and five sisters. He was predeceased by his parents, Andrew and Jane, and his brother, David.
Andy and Pam enjoyed time together in Bend, Oregon, where they made memories fishing, bowling and exploring local breweries and food trucks. But above all, he cherished time with his grandchildren.
A funeral Mass will be held Thursday, May 22, at 11 a.m. at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, 1000 Cambridge Ave., Novato, followed by a reception.
