Sangerville

Sangerville town clerk will be retiring at the end of October

SANGERVILLE — After 24 years in Sangerville’s Town Office, Town Clerk Alvina Church will retire at the end of October. To recognize Church’s many years of service and dedication Town Manager Lois Jones announced plans for a drop-in retirement party for Church at the Sangerville Fire Station from 4-7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 25.

Jones says, “Alvina always has a smiling face for people coming into the office and a great knowledge of town history. She will be greatly missed.”

“Everybody loves Alvina,” Mike Wark, chairman of the Sangerville Board of Selectmen, observed. He noted, that while every town employee at one time or another had residents complain about them, he never heard a single complaint about Church. “We will all miss her,” he said.

“Alvina is one of the most kind-hearted people I have ever worked with,” Dorene Foss, Sangerville’s current deputy town clerk, said.

Alvina Church Sangerville

Contributed photo
RETIRING SANGERVILLE TOWN CLERK — After 24 years working in the community, Sangerville Town Clerk Alvina Church will retire at the end of October. A drop-in retirement party for Church will be at the Sangerville Fire Station from 4-7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 25.

Church was hired on July 19, 1994 by Selectmen Lance Burgess, Barry Carleton and Bradley Nuite and was promoted to town clerk in 2003. She replaced longtime Sangerville Town Clerk Alice Moulton on her retirement.

“The 16 years that Alvina and I worked together were great,” Moulton remembers. “We worked hard, but still found time for friendship and humor.”

“She [Alice] was very good to me,” Church said, referring to her mentor fondly.

When asked why he hired Church, Burgess said, “I told the board, at the time, that when they got Alvina on board she would be here forever and be an asset to the town.”

Carleton also spoke appreciatively about Church’s time as town clerk, “She is a great lady — very good at her job and good with people. She was always ready to bend over backwards for the board and help us out.”

Leaving is bittersweet for Church, “Sangerville is a wonderful town and has great people. I have enjoyed the 25 years I have worked for the town. I have no complaints.” She counts her greatest accomplishments during her time as town clerk the implementation of the electronic DMV system and updating the town to the DS 200 voting machines.

Tom Carone, selectman from 2010-16, said, “Alvina has been the ‘staple’ — figuratively and literally — that has helped hold Sangerville together for a quarter of a century.”

Former Selectman Bill Rowe notes, “Alvina kept the day to day operations of the town moving in a positive direction. She filled in whenever it was necessary to keep the town operating.”

On numerous occasions Church stepped up and acted as Sangerville’s interim town manager.

“She taught several of our previous town managers how to be a town manager,” former Selectman Brent Randall observed.

Past Selectman Irving McNaughton remembers, “Whenever I would speak with her [Alvina], she always had a smile and she would do as I asked … as long as it was legal. As I would leave she would wink at me and say, ‘Stay out of trouble.’”

Church says she is looking forward to spending time with her 91-year-old mother and possibly visiting family who live out of state. She also hopes to take the time to do some quilting and sewing.

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