Kiersten "Kayj" Andersen

May 30, 1972 - May 7, 2022

Kiersten “Kayj” Jennifer Andersen, age 49, of Waxhaw, NC, passed away unexpectedly under the care of Physicians, in Matthews, NC. She was born in Burlington, VT, on May 30, 1972, to Robert James Nash and Madelyn Ann Krest. Kayj was a track, cross country, and academic star in high school, helping her to earn a scholarship to Stanford University. Kayj achieved the following academic accomplishments: Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, with Honors (Stanford University), Master of Arts in Counseling & Personnel Services, with Honors (University of Maryland at College Park), Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, with Honors (Arizona State University), Bachelor of Science in Nursing, with Honors (Duke University), Master of Science in Nursing, Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program, with Honors (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill). Kayj was married to Jeremy Keith Andersen. They were wed on December 6, 2019, in Union County, NC. She was a Licensed Psychologist and a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. In her spare time, Kayj enjoyed spending time with her husband and children, going for long walks, viewing sunsets, caring for their family’s three cats and one dog, going to the movies, and watching sports with her family. Kayj will be remembered as a loving, caring, and selfless wife, mother, daughter, sister, and aunt. She gave the best of her to everyone she met. She was deeply proud of her children and felt it was her true calling in life to be a mother. Kayj dedicated her career to helping others through pain and suffering. She was a devout follower of Christ and was proud of her Christian beliefs and values. Kayj will forever be missed, but will always be in our thoughts, hearts, and prayers. Kayj is survived by her husband, Jeremy Andersen, her children, Kailey Okine, Kai Okine, Keira Okine, and Brody Andersen, her father and mother, Robert James Nash and Madelyn Ann Nash, her sister and brother-in-law, Mika Nash and Lance Gibney, along with their children and her nephews, niece and great nephews, Cody Nash-Gibney and his son Zakari Nash-Gibney, Chaney Nash-Gibney, and Posie Nash-Gibney and her son Niko Nash-McDonald. Kayj is also survived by her extended family inside of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department and by the many patients that she has helped or were currently helping, that turned to her for guidance and support.