Mary L. Andrews

SANFORD — Mary Lysbeth Andrews, 76, was surrounded by her close loved ones when she died peacefully on May 29, 2025, from symptoms related to dementia.

Lysbeth was born on Aug. 21, 1948, to Norris and Mary Andrews in New Haven, Conn.

She attended elementary school in Madison, Conn., and there she met her lifelong friend Rosemary Frankwick (Greaves).

She and her family spent summers on the beaches of Madison and made wonderful memories with cousins at the family “farm” in Stafford Springs, Conn. Lysbeth continued her schooling in Hamden, Conn., graduating from Hamden High in 1966.

A lifelong lover of history that she inherited from her father, she pursued her degree in history at Hiram Scott College in Scott’s Bluff, Neb. She returned to New Haven and began her dream job working at the New Haven Historical Society.

It was in New Haven that she met Bernard Zike and in late 1973 they married. The young couple enjoyed traveling internationally with memorable trips to Barcelona, Portugal and Scotland.

They settled on Front Street in Fair Haven with other young “urban pioneers” and became close friends with Chris Wuerth, Pam Dewell and David and Harriet Conger. Together, they set about restoring their houses and raising their kids on the banks of the Quinnipiac.
In 1981, Lysbeth would give birth to her only child, Nathaniel Zike.

After numerous camping trips to the Midcoast area (and realizing the tent at Lobster Buoy wasn’t dry enough), the family decided to move to the quiet of Maine, settling in Warren.

During her time in Maine, Lysbeth enjoyed volunteering with numerous organizations, singing in the Down East Singers, participating in the Shakespeare Society, and being an active member of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Thomaston, where she served on the Alter Guild.

She loved living near the ocean and took every chance she could for a beach day at Lucia, Drift Inn or Reid. As her illness advanced, she found comfort and peace at Pinnacle Health and Rehab in Sanford.

She was predeceased by her parents, Norris and Mary; nephew, David Houde; and her former husband, Bernard Zike.

She is survived by sisters, Faith Andrews of Eastham, Mass., and Carol Rooney (Pat) of Twentynine Palms, Calif.; her son, Captain Nathaniel Zike (Lauren) of Nottingham, N.H.; her niece and goddaughter, Florice Houde (Aubin); her nephew and godson, Patrick Rooney; niece, Katie Rooney (Scott); nephew, Matthew Vertescher; and niece, Nicole Vertescher (Walter); as well as numerous friends, loved ones and companions.

A memorial service will be held at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Thomaston in July. A private graveside service for family and close friends will be held in Madison, Conn. The family would like to thank the wonderful, thoughtful and attentive staff at Pinnacle in Sanford who helped guide and care for Lysbeth during the last few years of her journey.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Lysbeth’s name to New Hope for Women in Rockland or the Knox County Humane Society.