Annette E. Boynton

CANAAN –Annette Maurais Boynton’s prayers were answered in the wee hours of the morning, Sunday, January 1, 2023. Annette, Annie, Mrs. Boynton, Mom, Ma Tante (Aunt), Memere, Grandmaman…and sometimes The General were all names she was called in her 86 plus years on this earth. What a life she lived! Born in East Hereford, Quebec, on May 4, 1936, the daughter of the late Pepere (Adrien) and Memere (Marie-anna Paquette) Maurais, she immigrated to the United States at a young age. As her knowledge of the English language was limited, she quit school as a Freshman. She went to work at the Coös County Hospital, became an LNA and worked there for ten years. Because of this, she met her future husband, Harvey Boynton, while he was a patient, having fallen in the hot pond at the North Stratford factory. They got married on July 2, 1960, and resided at their camp at Wallis Pond in Canaan, that was until one night when a car stopped in their drive which made her nervous. The next day, she searched and found an apartment in Canaan, where she lived for the remainder of her life until going to the Morrison Nursing Home in July of 2022. During that time in Canaan, Harvey and Annette purchased the apartment house and countless memories were made there. Annette’s job was raising their daughter, Terrie, after having lost their son, Bruce Harvey, in 1964 after surviving thirteen days. Being a Mom was a job she took seriously until her last breath. She was so involved with every aspect of raising her daughter, supporting her, and being there in each endeavor. When Terrie went to college, Annette needed a new career. She became a rural route carrier and had that job for the next 35 years, six days a week, with not much leave taken for most of it. When she retired at the young age of 83, messages of good wishes poured out with the words kind, caring, thoughtful, hard-working in each of them, a true testament to her character. Before retiring, she was highlighted as a Super Senior on WCAX TV, a classic interview if there ever was one, as it was truly her throughout the piece. Annette was well known throughout the community for being a wonderful and helpful person, but also for not holding back her opinion and having a knack for telling it like it is. She always told you the truth, even if it wasn’t something you wanted to hear. How else do you think she got the nickname “The General,” started by a family friend years ago? It can be said that she took care of every one of her brothers and sisters in one capacity or another in their lives, as well as Memere and Pepere Maurais, her husband, daughter, and her grandchildren. Family came first, no matter what was going on with her personally, or if she wasn’t happy with one of them. She would help them, but certainly they got to hear what she thought at that moment. Described as “a tough old bird” she was handed many hard challenges through her life, meeting them head-on. She conquered all of them until the last; but even then, it was her decision to stop the fight as she had been praying for her mother to come and get her for quite some time. Her Faith in God was so incredibly strong, along with Mary and her two favorites, St. Jude and St. Anthony. She would start her day in prayer and continue intermittently throughout the day until her bedtime prayers. God is owed a lot in her surviving her challenges and answers she received from praying for others. Annette leaves behind a very broken-hearted family, though so very glad her suffering has ended, and she is now at Peace. She will live on in each of her family members in some manner or another…how can we forget her voice. Annette is survived by her daughter, Terrie Herr and husband David of Canaan; two grandchildren, Ryan Vincent and his wife Marya, and Averill Herr; and two great-grandchildren, Camden and Norah Vincent; as well as numerous nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her husband, Harvey Boynton in 2000; a son, Bruce, as an infant; and seven siblings, Victor Maurais, Raymond Maurais, Rodolph Maurais, Albert Maurais, Rita Ladd, Yvette Beloin, and Edith Marquis. There are no public calling hours. A memorial Mass will be held at St. Albert’s Catholic Church on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at 11 a.m. Interment will occur at a later date in East Hereford. Expressions of sympathy in memory of Mrs. Boynton may be made to the Harvey Boynton Memorial Scholarship, c/o Canaan Town Clerk, 318 Christian Hill Rd., Canaan, VT 05903. Condolences may be offered to the family on-line by going to www.jenkinsnewman.com. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to the care of Jenkins & Newman Funeral Home in Colebrook.

Annette E. Boynton

May 4, 1936 - January 1, 2023