Christopher W. Andrews, an 83-year-old Noank man who spent more than three decades teaching English before running the small-boat repair shop at Mystic Seaport, was found dead along the shore near Mystic Harbor on Oct. 26. More than two weeks later, state officials still have not determined how he died.
Andrews was found on the shore around 10 a.m. that Monday, according to facts reported by News-Times, which cited Bill Flood, a spokesperson for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Flood said DEEP's Environmental Conservation Police are investigating the circumstances of Andrews' death and trying to determine whether a boating accident occurred, though he stressed there was no threat to the public. Stonington emergency response crews and the U.S. Coast Guard also assisted in the response, per Flood's account.
Accounts of the boat's whereabouts differ. News-Times reported that Andrews' obituary described him setting out for Ram Island in his Bristol skiff, named Bean Bag, on a sunny Sunday afternoon. News-Times also reported that his boat was found adrift nearby. Daily Voice, however, reported that Andrews set out on Mystic Harbor the day before, on Sunday, Oct. 25, citing family. His obituary, published through The Day, states he was found the next morning along the shore with his boat anchored nearby, differing from the adrift account attributed to the DEEP spokesperson.
Medical Examiner Still Hasn't Determined Cause
As of Thursday, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner had listed both the cause and manner of Andrews' death as pending, according to the state office's account relayed in both News-Times' and Daily Voice's reporting. Daily Voice reported that the medical examiner's office had not determined the cause and manner of his death as of Thursday, Nov. 12. Andrews' family could not be reached for comment as of Nov. 12, per the News-Times account.
Andrews was born in Manhattan on Nov. 23, 1942. He graduated from Pomfret School in Pomfret and from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York, then attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, as a post-graduate and later earned advanced degrees from Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven.
From the Peace Corps to the Noank Shoreline
He served in the Peace Corps in Panama before marrying Beatrice Nyburg, who worked as a writer at The Day newspaper in New London. The couple moved to Noank in 1969. Andrews went on to teach English at New London High School for more than 30 years and spent 15 years running the small-boat repair shop at Mystic Seaport before retiring.
His obituary describes him as an old Mainer, and notes he had just spent a week with family and friends at Davis Island, Maine, before his death. At the time, he was reading American Disruptor, The Scandalous Life of Leland Stanford, according to the obituary.
Andrews is survived by two adult children and three grandchildren, according to Daily Voice's account of the obituary. A memorial for close friends and family will be held at a future date, per the obituary.
