James F. Andrews, 72, of Worcester died Wednesday, October 22nd in Mass General Hospital, Boston. Jim fought fiercely through many complications from heart surgery for almost three months in the cardiac ICU, but, ultimately, they were too much to overcome.
He leaves two brothers, Mark Andrews with whom he lived, and Paul Andrews of Machesney Park, IL; and many cousins.
Jim was born in Worcester, the son of Francis J. and Mary M. (O’Malley) Andrews. Jim graduated from St. John’s High School, where he was a proud member of the crew team for three years. He went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
He began his career serving the City of Worcester as a firefighter from 1980 until 1988. Following that, Jim owned and operated JF Andrews Remodeling and Roofing for more than 25 years before retiring. After several years of retirement, he went back to work as a maintenance tech at the Reserve on Salisbury Apartments, which later became Halstead Holden Apartments. During his retirement years he spent hours on his computer trading stocks on E-Trade.
Jim was an exceptionally hard and smart worker. He had a natural talent for carpentry and all things mechanical—he could repair just about anything. If he didn’t know how to do something, he would research it on the internet and persist until he figured it out.
For many years Jim was an avid windsurfer, watching the weather for the right winds and then heading to Falmouth for a day on the water. When the weather turned too cold for water sports, Jim would turn to the mountains for skiing. In his later years he loved bicycling. Many days he would take long rides through Worcester area towns. If he wasn’t riding one of his bikes, he was repairing or rebuilding them.
Jim followed all sports on TV. He would sit for hours watching golf, but the Patriots were the one team that got him riled up. Jim was often quiet, but could be surprisingly funny at times. He became a favorite of the nurses at MGH. He will be missed, especially by his brother Mark, who tagged along with Jim and his friends in their early years, and who shared a special bond with him for the past twenty plus years.
His visitation will be held on Thursday, October 30th from 9:30 until 10:30 a.m. in O’CONNOR BROTHERS FUNERAL HOME, 592 Park Avenue followed by his Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 a.m. in Christ the King Church, 1052 Pleasant Street. Burial will be in St. John’s Cemetery.