Since December 2003, he had been living in Alterra Clare Bridge Memory Care.

He was born on November 26, 1917, the fifth child of John Thomas &dquo;J.T.&dquo; and Martha Jane &dquo;Mattie&dquo; Marshall Boyer of Winston-Salem. In 1943, he married the former Carolyn Cauble.

Also in 1943, he earned his B.S. from Wake Forest College. In 1946, he received his M.D. from the Bowman Gray School of Medicine in Winston-Salem. Dr. Boyer did his residency in psychiatry at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine in 1966. After successful completion of his residency, Dr. Boyer lived in Tryon from 1966 to 2003.

He served his country for four years in the U.S. Navy and spent one year aboard the U.S.S. Hector in Shanghai, China. Later, he was honorably discharged from the military as a Lt. JG.

Dr. Boyer went on to spend seven years in private practice in North Carolina. He spent another eight years working as a physician for the U.S. State Department&squo;s Diplomatic Corps in Cyprus, Romania and Washington, D.C. Dr. Boyer spent another four years working for the North Carolina Mental Health Department and was responsible for founding five county mental health clinics in the western portion of the state. Dr. Boyer spent 17 years as Unit B director of Broughton Hospital in Morganton, eventually retiring from there in 1987.

He served as president of the Area Mental Health Board of Western North Carolina three times and received numerous mental health awards. Dr. Boyer founded the &dquo;Medicine and Ministry&dquo; Conference in Kanuga in 1971 and &dquo;The Meeting Place&dquo; Senior Center in Tryon in 1974, both of which continue on to this day. In 1972, he created the &dquo;Norman Boyer Award&dquo; for mental health volunteers. The award is still being given out today.

Dr. Boyer was preceded in death by his parents; and his wife, who died in 1990.

He is survived by a son, David Boyer and wife, Jean of Asheville; a daughter, Catherine Boyer of Winston-Salem; a granddaughter, Angie Boyer Grady and husband, David of Fletcher; five great grandchildren; and eleven nieces and nephews and their children and grandchildren.

A memorial service for Dr. Boyer will be held at a later date at Holy Cross Episcopal Church in Tryon. His ashes will be scattered in the church&squo;s Memorial Garden.

Memorials may be made to The Meeting Place Senior Center, 330 Carolina Drive, Tryon, N.C. 28782, Ph: 828-859-9707 or to The Scholarship Fund of the Medicine and Ministry Conference.

‐ paid obituary