RUMFORD — Former selectman and fire Chief J. Arthur Boivin was remembered by his friends and co-workers Monday as “a loyal friend” and “a great fire chief.”

Boivin, 72, passed away Saturday at the Hospice House, following a short battle with cancer.

Town Manager Carlo Puiia described Boivin as a “family man” and “a very hard-working man who loved his community.”

“Arthur and his brother, Gene, were instrumental in getting volunteers to help build the Rumford Informational Center,” Puiia said Monday evening. “He was a very patriotic guy and loved the Fourth of July.”

Puiia laughed and added, “I think the Fourth of July was almost like Christmas to him. I remember him and his family showing up at Independence Day events dressed in red, white and blue. He had a great zest for life.”

Former Selectman Mark Belanger, who served on the board at the same time as Boivin, said Boivin was “a great friend who would give you the shirt off his back if you asked him for it.”

“He’s been helping the Save Rumford group out,” Belanger said. “He’s been pretty active, even though he’s been sick. He had a strong constitution, was headstrong, and he thought that what was right was right. He was a loyal friend, and he will be missed.”

Former Rumford Deputy Chief Peter Chase, father of current fire Chief Robert Chase, worked under Boivin at the Rumford Fire Department for 15 years and described him as a “great chief.”

“I was pretty good friends with his brother, Gene, but Arthur was a pretty good guy to work with,” Chase said. “He always backed his own people.”

Mexico fire Chief Gary Wentzell said he’d known Boivin since the 1960s and worked with him sporadically throughout their years as firefighters.

“He was a Boivin,” Wentzell said, laughing. “He’d let you know what he wanted, no matter what. I liked Arthur. I didn’t see him much after he retired, but we worked together and helped each other out a lot on the job.”

Boivin’s love for his community could be found in the form of the wooden shields, hand-painted with flags on the front, hanging from the town’s lamp posts. The shields recognize the River Valley military personnel sent overseas and were crafted by Boivin in 2010, with the assistance of the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary.

Using marine plywood donated by Mexico fire Chief Gary Wentzell, Boivin cut and painted each shield at his house, while auxiliary members hand-painted the names of deployed military personnel across the shield’s center.

Boivin said in 2010 that when those deployed return home, their shield would be taken down and either presented to them by the town manager and selectmen or presented during a patriotic celebration, such as the Fourth of July.

“Arthur was passionate about the troops and getting those shields up around town,” Rumford American Legion Commander Tricia Thurston said Monday afternoon. She was president of the auxiliary when Boivin first approached the town about crafting the shields. “He always liked to be there when a soldier came home to present their shield to them,” she said.

Boivin worked for 33 years with the Rumford Fire Department, retiring as chief. In his retirement, he continued to serve Rumford on the Board of Selectmen, the school board and the historical society.

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