Former Schuylkill County Commissioner and Sheriff Francis V. “Angie” McAndrew has left a legacy of genuine care and hard work on behalf of county residents.

McAndrew, 71, died unexpectedly on Nov. 26 at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest.“I had the pleasure of working with Frank McAndrew in his capacity as the county sheriff and as a fellow commissioner,” said Commissioner Frank J. Staudenmeier.“Angie was both a colleague and a friend. He served the people of Schuylkill County well and will truly be missed by all of us,” he said.When McAndrew, a retired state trooper, was elected sheriff in 1993. When he became a commissioner in 2007, he joined Commissioner Mantura Gallagher in giving Democrats majority control of the board for the first time since 1970. Both retired in 2011.Gallagher recalled her years working with McAndrew.“On New Year’s Eve morning in 2006, I called Angie McAndrew, and I explained to him that I enjoyed my four-year tenure as commissioner, but I felt that I was unable to accomplish many of the goals that I believed we could reach in the county if we were in the majority. I asked him to consider being my running mate and run for county commissioner with me,” she said.“He was caught off-guard, and told me so. He said he wanted to think about it,” Gallagher said.She recalled how he ran the sheriff’s office “like a well-oiled machine,” initiating the central booking office, the courthouse security program, and the prison work release program.“His decision would determine whether or not I would pursue a second term,” she said.“He told me that he understood, but he wanted to talk to (his wife) Sissie,” Gallagher said.Ten days later, McAndrew had made up his mind.“He said he would run with me, and for one objective: to win the election, to take the majority, and to serve the people of Schuylkill County the best we could,” she said.McAndrew’s popularity was unsurpassed.“When we walked together in a parade, Angie could never keep up — not because he wasn’t fast enough, but instead because he stopped, he hugged, he kissed, he shook hands, he congratulated. People loved him, and he returned that love. Everyone was Angie McAndrew’s friend,” Gallagher said.“He would become especially emotional when we would participate in a patriotic event. He was so proud that he had served his country, and when he had the opportunity to do so, he individually thanked and chatted with every veteran he met,” she said.Gallagher spoke of the deep love McAndrew had for Sissie.“The love of his life was Sissie. If we would schedule a late-afternoon meeting, he would often say that he had to be on the road by a particular time because Sissie was making meatloaf, and that no one made meatloaf like Sissie,” she said.“He loved God, he loved Sissie, he loved his country, he loved Schuylkill County and he loved life,” Gallagher said. “I was honored to be a small part of it.”McAndrew, a decorated Army veteran having served during the Vietnam era, was buried with military honors in Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, Annville.Donations in his memory can be made to the Francis V. McAndrew Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 31, Lost Creek, PA 17946.