Raymond J. Andrews, Jr., 92, of Bozrah, formerly of Norwichtown, passed away peacefully at Backus Hospital on February 15, 2021, after a brief illness. He was born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts on August 22, 1928 to the late Raymond and Dorothy (Smith) Andrews. He attended Fitchburg High School during World War II, during which time he worked as an orderly at Burbank Hospital and served in the Massachusetts State Guard. Upon graduation in 1946 he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He served stateside as an aircraft electrician with Marine Wing Services Squadron Two, and was a Corporal at the time of his honorable discharge. On September 5th, 1949, Raymond was united in marriage to Marian L. Cadrette at St. Bernard's Church in Fitchburg. The couple recently celebrated 71 years of marriage. She survives him. Following their marriage, the couple moved to New Haven, Connecticut, where Raymond trained at Yale to become a medical radiographer. Eventually they settled in Norwich, where Raymond took employment in the X-ray department at Backus Hospital. After nearly 20 years, he then joined the Norwich Radiology Group where he worked until his retirement. He was an active member of Sacred Heart Parish in Norwichtown. He also was a member of Toastmasters International, the Norwich Historical Society, and the Fitchburg Historical Society. He was a 3rd Degree Knight with the Knights of Columbus, where he was well known for his annual role as Santa Claus, along with his wife Marian as Mrs. Claus. Raymond served as a Boy Scout troop leader (Troop 78 Norwich) and later as a merit badge counsellor for First Aid, NRA Hunter safety, and Morse code. In addition to his training at Yale, Raymond earned an Associates in Science Degree from Three Rivers Community-Technical College in 1993. He also attended the New Haven State Teachers College and Northeastern University in Boston. Always interested in educational endeavors, he was still attending college classes as late as 2016. He taught Medical Terminology for many years both at Huntington Institute and with Norwich Adult Education. He enjoyed the study of languages, becoming fluent in Spanish, somewhat versed in a dozen others, and took Pinyin Chinese classes well into his 80's. He was a member of the Chinese and American Cultural Assistance Association. A man of many interests and curiosities, Raymond enjoyed travel, camping, trivia games, history books, and letter writing. An outdoorsman at heart,
Raymond tended his vegetable and flower gardens and cut trees for firewood. He was a member of the NRA and enjoyed target shooting. He produced a photographic study of stained-glass church windows in Norwich and surrounding areas, presenting slideshows of his work to various civic organizations. Raymond also had a great interest in his family genealogy, his family having descended from survivors of the galleon Angel Gabriel which sunk in Pemaquid Harbor, Maine in 1635. In addition to his wife, he is survived by four sons, Raymond Andrews III, Paul Andrews, Kenneth (Maryann) Andrews, all of Fitchburg, David (Jeanette) Andrews, of Loudon, Tennessee, and two daughters, Mary (Frank) Gagliardo, of Taftville, and Susan (Glenn) Babbitt of Lynchburg, Virginia. He is also survived by fourteen grandchildren, Andrew, Adrienne, and Aimee Andrews, Robert and Joseph Bernier, Jesse, Josiah, Anna and Yana Babbitt, Melissa Richards, Allison and Lindsey Andrews, and Nathan and Emily Andrews, and two great-grandchildren, Michael Bernier and Danika Bernier. He was predeceased by his parents and his brother, Daniel.
There will be no calling hours and funeral services are private. Donations may be made in Raymond's memory to the Haitian Health Foundation, 97 Sherman St., Norwich, or Catholic Charities, Diocese of Norwich, 331 Main St., Norwich. Guillot Funeral Home in Taftville is in charge of the arrangements.