Andrea Jean Mitzen

Andrea Jean (Albert) Mitzen, age 56, of Manassas, VA died Sunday morning September 7, 2025. Andrea was born in Pittsburgh, PA, daughter of the late John A. and Lenore (Bermon) Albert. As a highly skilled technician, she has helped many business grow - from private companies in the medical field, aerospace, hi-power LED lighting, communications... to some amazing work for the government.

Andrea was instrumental in building the hardware for one of the first Internet of Things systems back in 1994 ( https://patents.google.com/patent/US6208266 ).

She, again, was the sole technician in the prototyping and assembly of a novel network guard system ( https://patents.google.com/patent/US8250235B2/en ) - a product that helped the company to generate enough revenue to be purchased by Verizon.

Andrea single-handedly - and very rapidly - built some of the first PCB's that was part of an award-winning system (https://www.afsoc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/162816/benchmark-dragon-spear-program-earns-william-j-perry-award/ ) that saved the taxpayer over 80%. She then went on to build the next version of the hardware that saved even more. Her legacy will live on in the lives that she helped to save.

She was also a talented graphic artist, creating everything from logos (see the gallery for the ajawamnet logo) to artwork used for CD cover art, food containers, websites, and commercial products.

She was an amazing spouse, mother, and partner. Andrea, as anyone who met her knew, was exceptional - to even try to use that word to describe her feels laughable, because she was far more than that (and, god, how she would want us to laugh right now). Be it tending to her garden or raising numerous beloved pets – her capacity for love will be something she is always remembered for.

She was brilliant as the colors of fall. Warm and caring like a homemade meal. Generous. Funny. Sincere. Loved forever and now deeply, bitterly missed. She was a loving mother, wife, friend, neighbor. But, I think, I know, she really wasn't one for weepiness. At least, not like this. She wouldn't want us to dwell in our sorrow. What she really would want me to say is: hug your loved ones, always make sure to tell them you love them, and do something nice for yourself and others today. 

She is predeceased by her sister Lisa L. (Albert) Desmond of Pitcairn, PA and her half-brother Paul J. Sakal of Pittsburgh, PA. She is survived by her husband Wayne Mitzen, her three children Levi, Laurel(Louie), and Lenore Mitzen.