Marlene Andrews

By SYDNEY SCHWARTZ
The Patriot Ledger

MARSHFIELD - Police found a 65-year-old widow dead on her kitchen floor after she tried to light a cigarette and accidentally set her clothing on fire.

The woman, Marlene Andrews of 17 Clear Echo Lane, tried to extinguish the fire yesterday morning with water from the faucet before she burned to death, firefighters said.

The exact cause of death remains under investigation by the state medical examiner’s office, said Marshfield Fire Chief Kevin C. Robinson.

Andrews, a homemaker, lived alone in a two-story house on a small street near Rexhame Beach. Her husband, Thomas H. Andrews, died in May.

She suffered from seizures and asthma, and her left arm was in a cast. She broke it two weeks ago after tripping over a stool and hitting the kitchen cabinet, said her sons, Thomas H. Andrews Jr. of Chester and Kenneth A. Andrews of Middleboro.

A neighbor found Andrews on the floor just before 6:30 a.m. yesterday and called 911 for a possible medical emergency, Robinson said.

The man’s wife had heard the sound of the smoke detectors while walking their dog, but he could not see any smoke or fire in the house, Robinson said.

Another neighbor alerted Andrews’ sons of the accident.

Robinson said the fire did not move beyond the kitchen. He believes it had been out for a ‘‘comfortable period of time’’ when firefighters arrived because there was no smoke in the house.

When police arrived, the kitchen faucet was still running and the kitchen television was still on.

Several boxes of Marlboro 100s still sat on the kitchen table. A nearby ashtray was full of ashes, several matches and about a half-dozen cigarettes.

The fire charred large black spots on the white tile floor and the cabinet under the faucet. There were also streaks of smoke damage on a small refrigerator and a section of the kitchen counter.

Andrews and her husband moved to the house from Randolph about nine years ago to be close to the ocean, their sons said.

Andrews was adopted as a child and grew up in Cambridge, where both she and her husband were roller-skating champions. She got married at 18 and had children soon after.

In 1967, the family moved to Randolph, where the boys grew up. Andrews worked as a hairdresser and her husband as an electrician.

The couple frequented events at the Marshfield Lodge of Elks, the Randolph Lodge of Elks and Sons of Italy in Braintree, their sons said.

‘‘She loved keeping the house clean, sitting out on the deck, smoking her cigarettes and having her drinks,’’ Kenneth Andrews said.

A neighbor, Lorraine Clark, of 39 Towne Way, who suffered a stroke a few years ago, said Andrews called every morning to check up on her.

On Fridays, the women would go grocery shopping together. Sometimes, they ate dinner together.

Last week, Clark said, Andrews called to say she bought ‘‘a little something for you and your sweetheart,’’ a box of Valentine’s Day chocolates - and told Clark’s husband to come pick it up.

‘‘She was a very warm, loving person,’’ Clark said. ‘‘If she liked you, she would give you the moon.’’

After her husband died unexpectedly, Andrews was never the same, her sons and friends said.

‘‘When she lost her husband, she lost her right arm,’’ Clark said. ‘‘They were very, very close. She really missed him.’’

At Christmas time, she didn’t put up her outdoor Christmas tree - which she typically put up outside so she didn’t have to clean up after it inside, and for her neighbors’ enjoyment, Clark said.

‘‘It was just a matter of time,’’ Thomas Andrews said. ‘‘She kept saying to me, ‘I just want to be with dad.’’’

Andrews’ sons said she called them both Tuesday night to ask them to come over. She wanted to talk to them about something urgent, she said.

She spoke to Thomas around 8:30 p.m. and left Kenneth a message around 11.

‘‘She loved the ocean. She loved my father,’’ Thomas Andrews said. ‘‘She loved her neighbors. She loved her family.’’

Sydney Schwartz may be reached at sschwartz@ledger.com .

Copyright 2007 The Patriot Ledger
Transmitted Thursday, February 22, 2007