By Jen Otterson,Staff Writer

NORWAY – The town of Norway suffered a great loss when Kurt Palmer died at the age of 71 Thursday morning.

Palmer dedicated many years of service to the town, and was well-known both in local government and among hunters and fishermen.

Palmer was an avid outdoorsman. He and his sister Rowena are described by friends as two of the most successful salmon fishermen on Norway Lake.

Bob Orre of South Paris grew up with Palmer. The two formed a friendship as neighbors that remained strong after Orre’s family moved from the area. As boys, Palmer and Orre hunted and fished most of the northern part of Norway. “I was a bit older than he was,” Orre said, but “we had good times all the time. We went hunting and fishing together all our lives.”

“Everyone here knew him,” said Norway Town Manager David Holt. “He was kind of a fixture.” Palmer served as a selectman in Norway from 1992 to 1996. In addition to making a significant contribution to the town’s comprehensive plan, Palmer was a member of the Budget Committee and served as an alternate on the Norway Paris Solid Waste board.

“He didn’t always like me,” Holt admitted, but Holt valued Palmer’s opinions and service to the town, even when the two disagreed.

Palmer cared a lot about the town, Holt said, and watched out for the taxpayers. “He was especially effective as a voice of the rural parts of town.” With his wife, Joyce, owned the Deer Farm on Crockett Ridge Road, where his family has lived and farmed for generations.

“He and his family were part of the backbone of Norway,” Holt said. “Everybody wishes his wife and family the best.”