When Charlotte Boynton was on the story, people knew they would get a fair shake.

Her diligence in getting the story right earned their trust.

Her compassion earned their friendship and shined through in her writing.

Within and outside the walls of the Wiscasset Newspaper and Boothbay Register last week, Boynton's retirement left a void and a trail of praise. She had been on the job 13 years, in addition to an earlier stint as editor of the Wiscasset Newspaper, from 1979 to 1982.

“I think it's a sad day that she's retiring. She's going to be dearly missed in this region,” said Col. Mark Westrum, correctional administrator at Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset.

Wiscasset Town Manager Laurie Smith appreciated Boynton's approach to reporting. “She had the tenacity to track down the facts, while also using the human touch to understand those who she wrote about,” Smith said. “She had the trust of the community which is so important … ”

Smith often tapped the pulse Boynton had on local opinion. “She was always honest ...,” Smith said.

For Boynton, 81, connecting with the community was key to covering it. “You have to become involved and learn …. You have to earn the respect of the people to do your job well,” she said.

Veterans' stories have been her favorites to tell. With a World War I veteran grandfather and a mother who served in the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps in World War II, the Woolwich woman said she understood the sacrifices veterans and their families made.

Boynton wrote many award-winning news stories. Two in Westport Island were her biggest challenges to cover, she said.

In the Maine Press Association award winner “An Act of Love,” she wrote about a couple who died in a murder-suicide. The husband mistakenly believed he had cancer and was concerned his blind wife would have no one to take care of her, Boynton said.

He shot his wife, then himself.

“What was challenging was to be sensitive and to show that it wasn't a man who was angry,” she said. She picked up details from the couple's nephew, like the fact the husband had nailed empty tuna cans to his wife's chair for her cigarette butts.

Then there was “The Ripple Effect,” about a subdivision's alleged blasting without following procedures. “The subdivision's owners threatened to sue the newspapers,” Boynton said. The story won a New England Press Association award for investigative reporting.

For Wiscasset Newspaper/Boothbay Register Editor Kevin Burnham, Boynton's coverage of a Wiscasset woman's Mother's Day 2012 suicide,  near the grave of her son who had also committed suicide, stands out as an example of Boynton's abilities.

“In 27 years as editor, I don't know of anyone else who would have done as good a job with that,” Burnham said.

“She has reported the news as a lady, she has worked hard through her tenure, and she has been very much a friend to all on the staff,” he added.

“Her boundless energy never ceased to amaze me,” Editor Emerita Mary Brewer said. “She treated every story with equal enthusiasm, no matter how big or small …. And while she may no longer be in the office where we will get to see her on a regular basis, she will remain a friend forever.”

The two newspapers' employees gathered at the Davis Island Grill in Edgecomb to honor Boynton April 11. Westport Island selectmen threw her a party April 8.

“I think the world of her,” Westport Island First Selectman George Richardson said.

What does Boynton's future hold? “At this point, I'm not absolutely sure, but I wouldn't count me out,” she said.

This is Boynton's second retirement. In 1998, she retired from Bath Iron Works after 18 years in inventory control.

“There could always be a third retirement,” she said.

Susan Johns can be reached at 207-844-4633 or sjohns@wiscassetnewspaper.com.