Kathleen Boyce

Kathleen “Kathy” Radcliffe Boyce, beloved mother and grandmother, passed away peacefully at the age of 85 on October 5, 2025 of complications of metastatic disease. Kathy was a lifelong educator of learners with disabilities and a performing arts enthusiast and patron, with a special love for opera.

Born May 29, 1940 in New Bedford, MA, to Arthur Edwin Radcliffe and Phyllis Frances Lebaron Radcliffe, Kathy grew up in the South Cape Cod region and was a member of the International Order of the Rainbow, becoming a member of the Order of the Eastern Star in 1959. She moved to Boston to attend Northeastern University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in English-Journalism in 1964. While attending Northeastern, Kathy was a member of Silver Masque, a student-run theatre group, where she met Edward Dalton. The two married in 1962 and had two children, Elizabeth Michelle Dalton in 1966 and Michael Edward Dalton in 1968. The Daltons were members of the Methodist Church in Hudson, MA and Salem, NH. The family moved to New Hampshire in 1974. Kathy and Edward divorced in 1979 and Kathy married William A. Boyce in 1981. She was widowed on his death in 1990.

Public education was a calling as much as a profession for Kathy. She began working as a special education paraprofessional in the Derry Cooperative School District in 1975, and became a full time teacher in special education from 1978-1984. She attended graduate school at Rivier College, earning a Master’s in Special Education and School Administration in 1984. She was appointed the Derry School District Director of Special Services in 1989. She advocated for the individual needs of children throughout her career, and continued to support students placed in out-of-district programs after her retirement.

Kathy loved the performing arts, both as a participant and as a member of the audience. She shared her lifelong love of musical theatre with her family and many friends, often making particular note of production and stagecraft, informed by her college experience as a stage manager. She sang alto in the choir in the Methodist Church in Hudson, MA and Salem, NH, and also became a long time member of the Interfaith Choir in Derry, NH, performing in multiple venues, most notably the Methuen Memorial Music Hall in MA. She was accepted to the Tanglewood Festival Chorus for many summers and also sang in the Nashua Symphony Chorus. She traveled with the New Hampshire Friendship Chorus to Russia, Latvia and Estonia in 1992, Greece and Turkey in 1994, and South Africa in 1998, touring and singing with local choral groups. She also enjoyed orchestral music, especially the Romantic composers. She was an especially ardent fan of opera, attending performances across North America as well as in multiple cities in Europe (including the Ring Cycle in Beyreuth), often accompanied by her children and grandchildren and forming global friendships in person and online. Her tastes spanned from the Baroque period through Wagner to contemporary works by Philip Glass. Locally she supported Boston Lyric Opera and particularly enjoyed attending rehearsals and workshops and hosting young artists.

Kathy is survived by her sister Ann E. Radcliffe Macomber, daughter Elizabeth Michelle Dalton, son Michael Edward Dalton, and grandchildren Diana Dan Zsigray, Becquerel Jones, Sarah Yang Zsigray, and Alex Dalton.

No services are planned. The family will host a private celebration of Kathy’s life in late December. Kathy was a supporter of World Central Kitchen and those wishing to honor her memory may consider making a donation there, or to a musical or theatre group or local public school district.

Assisting the family with arrangements is the Cremation Society of New Hampshire, Manchester.