Norway – A great place to live and work

Photo: Jackie Rybeck

TOWN CLERK – Shirley Boyce is the town clerk in Norway. She has been with the town since 1977.

NORWAY – Shirley Boyce is the town clerk for Norway. She was born in Lewiston and grew up in West Paris.

“West Paris was a great place to live as a child,” she said. “I have two sisters and two brothers, all younger than me. I had fun with my friends digging for old bottles, hanging May baskets, playing baseball and exploring the fields and woods.”

Shirley’s family played a large role in her life.

“My Dad worked at Mann’s Mill and later on at Emery’s Building Materials. He also worked for the Portland Pipeline. He was an animal lover, so I always had pets. My mother stayed at home until my youngest brother went to school and then she went to work at Ledgeview Memorial Home.”

“I was also very close to my grandmother, Ida Hadley,” she added. “She and my aunts took me to lots of places with them.”

According to Shirley, there were many interesting people and places to go in town.

“Some of the people were real characters!” she exclaimed. “And I loved going to school there, and I loved going to the library. The library looks like a small castle and I found out later on that my husband’s grandfather had built it.”

She met her husband Jim Boyce in high school.

“I moved to Norway when we got married,” she smiled. “And we have two daughters. Veronica lives in West Paris and works for Fairpoint in Portland. Meredith is in Statevesville, North Carolina and is going to school to become a dental hygienist.”

Their two, active girls kept mom and dad pretty busy.

“We followed them around to whatever they were doing,” she smiled. “Be it skiing, field hockey, cheering or 4-H. We now have four, wonderful grandchildren: Sullivan, Molly, Olivia and Sawyer.”

Travel wasn’t a priority, but the Boyce’s do some.

“We usually visit Meredith in North Carolina once a year and we go to Florida every February. My husband likes to attend the Daytona 500, and I also have a very dear childhood friend there that I visit each year.”

“I also love to go to the ocean,” she adds.

Her favorite things are animals, and perennial gardening.

“I am a volunteer at Repsonsible Pet Care and I belong to the Oxford County Animal Response Team. I like to volunteer to make life better for homeless pets.”

Shirley is also the secretary for the West Paris Alumni Association.

Before coming to the town, Shirley worked at the Ledgeview Memorial Home and then at Corwall Industries as an executive secretary.

“I started here in 1977,” she explained. “I pretty much have the same job I started with.”

The job as town clerk is a busy one. Among her many jobs, Shirley is the recording secretary for the Planning Board, the registrar of voters, deputy tax collector and responsible for all the vital records.”

“Vital records take more time than most towns because we are home to a hospital and nursing home, which generates more births and deaths.”

But all-in-all Shirley loves both this town and the people in it.

“The best part of my job is the nice people that I have had the good fortune to meet,” she smiled. “I have also worked with some fabulous clerks in many towns and cities.”

“Norway is just a great place to live and work.”