1922 – 2014

NORWAY — Mary Fisher Andrews, 92, of North Waterford, died Sunday, Oct. 5, at the Norway Center for Health and Rehabilitation.

Mary was born on July 18, 1922, in Brooklyn, N.Y., a daughter of Dr. Joseph Herben and Dr. Mary Langmuir Essex. She was raised in Waterford and Princeton, N.J. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Vassar College.

In 1944, she married Richard L. Andrews, an artist, and taught school while he served overseas in the U.S. Army Air Corps. At the end of the war, they moved to New Canaan, Conn., where her husband taught art and they raised their family, spending summers at their home in North Waterford.

She earned a joint master’s degree in Old Testament studies from Union Theological Seminary and Columbia University. Following work at New Canaan Congregational Church, she taught elementary grades at Scarborough School and St. Luke’s School in New York, retiring with her husband in 1986 to live full-time in North Waterford. She continued to be active in education, volunteering her time at Waterford School and as a literacy volunteer at Oxford Hills Adult Education.

She faithfully kept a journal from her youth onward, and wrote poetry and plays. She was a keen observer of nature; she loved trees and wildflowers, which often became the subject of her poems. She was known throughout her life for her wit and her gentle, caring manner.

Mary is survived by two daughters, Judith (Mrs. Roger Green) and Sarah (Mrs. Damon Brown); three grandchildren, Sarah Timm, Roger Green III and Duncan Brown; four great-grandchildren, Alden and Silas Timm and Roger IV and Beatrice Green; and two sisters, Lysbeth Engle and Judith Fisher.

She was predeceased by her husband and by their son, Joseph C. Andrews.

The family would like to thank the staff at the Norway Center for their kindness in caring for Mary over the past three years.

Online condolences may be expressed at www.chandlerfunerals.com.