By Gillian Graham
Staff Writer

State Police said an Old Orchard Beach man who killed his wife before committing suicide was upset over the pending breakup of their marriage.
Police said the bodies of Bruce and Stacey Savoy were found in the kitchen of their Pleasant Street home at 9:20 a.m. Tuesday by a family friend who arrived to walk the couple’s dogs. Police said they believe Bruce Savoy shot his wife of about 20 years late Monday afternoon as she returned from the grocery store.
Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety, said a handgun was found by the bodies and three suicide notes written by Bruce Savoy were found inside the house. He said Bruce Savoy indicated he was upset about the end of the couple’s marriage.
State Police Sgt. Chris Harriman said the Savoys were the only people in the home at the time. He said neighbors did not report hearing gunshots. Police said the bodies were taken Tuesday afternoon to the state medical examiner’s office for autopsies.
Bruce Savoy, 55, was the assistant code enforcement officer in Wells and previously worked for the Old Orchard Beach Police Department, according to police. McCausland said Stacey Savoy, 50, worked as a vice president at Unum. They did not have children and a family friend is caring for their dogs, he said.
Unum officials would not confirm Stacey Savoy worked for the company. Harriman said Bruce Savoy worked Monday in Wells. McCausland said both Bruce and Stacey Savoy were active members of a canine search and rescue team.
Wells Police Chief Jo-Ann Putnam said Bruce Savoy worked for the department for two and a half years. Putnam said Bruce Savoy also was a school resource officer for about two years before moving to the codes department.
“He did a little of everything – inspections, compliance with codes, reviewed plans,” she said. “He was always upbeat, happy-go-lucky when he was at work, singing, whistling, always in a good mood.”
Wells High School senior David Brassard said he was sad to hear about Bruce Savoy, who was well-liked by students in the school.
“He was really kind and helpful. A lot of people like him,” he said. “You could go to the office and he’d give you candy.”
Fire Chief John Glass confirmed Bruce Savoy was a volunteer firefighter off and on until about two years ago.
“He was a very conscientious firefighter. We are all saddened by the loss of him and loss of his wife,” Glass said.
Savoy was the former Old Orchard Beach code enforcement officer and trained search and rescue dogs, said friend Sonia Gardner. She said she was saddened when Bruce Savoy told her he was leaving Old Orchard Beach to work for Wells.
“I just wished him luck in his new endeavors,” she said.  
Gardner, a former town councilor, said she has known Bruce Savoy and his family for years. She said the Savoy family is “one of the best families in Old Orchard Beach.” Bruce Savoy often stopped by to talk local politics and was a mentor to her grandson, she said. She had not seen Stacey Savoy “for a while.”
“They are terrific,” she said. “I don’t know what could have possibly happened. He was a good guy, a great guy. He’s going to be really missed.”
Gardner said Bruce and Stacey Savoy were a “great couple” who had known each other since childhood. She said their deaths are “a big loss for Old Orchard Beach.
“Anyone you talk to in this community will have nothing but high regard for them,” she said.

Paula Quinlan lives several doors down from the Savoy house. She said the shooting was a “shocking” event in an otherwise quiet neighborhood. She said she did not hear shots but heard about what happened from another neighbor.  
Though she did not know the Savoys well, she said they were friendly and seemed to enjoy fishing together.
“He was always with his dogs and always working around the yard,” she said. ‘They were a couple who were always together.”
Neighbors said Bruce and Stacey Savoy often walked their dogs through the neighborhood and worked in their yard. Winnie Binette, who lives nearby and walks her dog down Pleasant Street four or five times per day, said she saw Bruce Savoy raking leaves while his dogs ran around last weekend.
“He was such a sweet guy. He hollered ‘hi’ and that’s the last time I’ve seen him,” Binette said.
Binette said most neighborhood residents live there year round and are friendly. On Tuesday morning, her barking dog drew her attention to police vehicles arriving in the area. She said she did not hear gunshots or any other unusual noises.
“Nothing ever happens in this quiet neighborhood,” she said. “We’re real quiet here.”

– Staff  Writer Suzanne Hodgson contributed to this story.

Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.