Pamela Boyce

Two weeks ago, Pamela Boyce and her partner of 6½ years, Catherine Anello, talked of the inevitable for no particular reason, unaware of how soon it would come.

“Her direct quote was, ‘Don’t mourn my death, celebrate my life,’ ” Anello said. “She’s been saying for years, ‘I’m not afraid to die, because where I’m going is beautiful.’ ”

Last week, Boyce, 43, of Brooklyn, was at work on the 92nd floor of the World Trade Center’s north tower when it was struck by a hijacked airliner.

Anello described Boyce as driven by personal goals.

While working full time as assistant vice president of accounting for financial services firm Carr Futures Inc., Boyce maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average at night school, graduating in May with an associate’s degree in accounting from Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn. She planned to go on for bachelor’s and master’s degrees, Anello said.

“Once she put her mind to it, that was it,” Anello said. “I used to get tired watching her come home and study after a full day of work.”

Still, Boyce had plenty of energy left over for friends.

“During the summer, we were always at the beach. She loved to get a tan and relax,” Anello said. “Or we’d go to a friend’s house and hang out poolside and celebrate whatever was going on.”

Boyce also is survived by her mother, Laura Alessi of South Amboy, N.J.; her father, Noel Boyce of Port Charlotte, Fla.; two sisters, Desiree of South Amboy, N.J., and Gina of Jamesburg, N.J.; and two nieces and a nephew.