BAR HARBOR — The party ended far too early on the afternoon of Jan. 10, 2017, when Georgette “Geddy” Himes Richardson, 54, lost her short fight with pancreatic cancer.

Geddy was a force of nature and brightened every room she entered. She was also the loudest person in every room she entered. And into that room, she would always bring enough food and wine to feed an army.

Geddy or -- “Gette” to some -- had the biggest laugh and an even bigger heart. She never met a stranger and had the uncanny ability to turn them into lifelong friends. She opened her home and refrigerator to anyone in need, two-legged or four-legged.

Geddy was known for her love of pranks, animals and pranks involving animals, like the time she spent an entire work day with a duckling tucked into her shirt. She loved golf, gardening, her hot tub, mimosas, “Real Housewives” and “Judge Judy.”

But a perfect day for Geddy was riding on the aft deck of Dusty Row with a glass of Estancia Merlot in one hand and a fishing pole in the other, basking in the sun and in the love of her friends and family, whom she loved fiercely.

Born Aug. 20, 1962, in Dover-Foxcroft, Geddy was the fourth of five daughters born to Sally and George Himes, Mount Desert Island High School’s first music teacher and composer of the school song.

The family moved to Bar Harbor in 1968 and in her younger years Geddy could be found exploring Acadia National Park by climbing each peak on the island.

Her love for animals started in early in life as she and her sisters had several obscure pets including Karma the racoon and an orphaned fawn, which she carried out of the woods and named Dude. Geddy and the “Himes girls” attended MDI High School where Geddy was a cheerleader and a cross-country runner in the Class of 1981.

Geddy gave birth to her first child, Donny Mace, in 1984 and in 1988 she welcomed her second son, to Kyle Damon. The three shared a special bond that can’t be broken, even in death.

For many years, Geddy worked as the manager of the Christmas Tree Shop and Village Emporium in Bar Harbor when it first opened.

In 1995, she began working in the car business at Hilltop Chevrolet in Somersworth, N.H., at a time when female salespeople were rare. Geddy was a hardworking single mom at the time who moved heaven and earth to provide for her young sons.

In 1999, Geddy and the boys moved back to their native MDI and she began dating her longtime friend and love of her life, Scott Richardson. The same year, she became the first employee at Stanley Subaru in Trenton and was going on her 18th year as finance manager. Geddy truly loved her job and every one of her coworkers and customers.

Scott and Geddy married in a small ceremony on Jan, 5, 2002. They shared a life and love of travel, getting together with friends and of course, boat rides.

Geddy is survived by her loving husband, Scott Richardson of Bar Harbor; sons Donny Mace and fiancée Taylor Bigler of Southwest Harbor; Kyle Damon of South Portland; stepdaughter Jamie Richardson of Houston, Texas; stepson Kyle Richardson and wife Nicole of Bar Harbor; grandchildren Mirabelle Mace and Walker Richardson; sisters Cheryl Curtis of Lamoine; Tammy Bloom and husband Terry of Bar Harbor; Storey Testa and husband Tom of Palm Beach, Fla.; Heather Davis and husband Arthur of San Anselmo, Calif.; seven nieces and nephews whom she adored, Mackenzie Curtis, Ben Curtis, Sierra Bloom, Josh Bloom, Thomas Testa, Luke Davis and Hunter Davis; many cousins and in-laws, and too many friends to name.

Geddy will also be missed by her beloved dogs, Bailer and Haley, and the purveyors of Estancia Winery, who just lost their best customer.

We will always miss our sister, mother, Grammie Geddy and friend. But her presence was so powerful that she will always be with us, especially on a sunny day at sea.

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship, at my side,
spreads her white sails to the moving breeze and starts
for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength.
I stand and watch her until, at length, she hangs like a speck
of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.
Then, someone at my side says, "There, she is gone."
Gone where?
Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast,
hull and spar as she was when she left my side.
And, she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.
Her diminished size is in me -- not in her.
And, just at the moment when someone says, "There, she is gone,"
there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices
ready to take up the glad shout, "Here she comes!"

A service was held on Jan. 14 at St. Saviour’s Episcopal Church followed by a true celebration of her life that would have been more fun had Geddy been there herself.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Richard D. and Karen W. Stanley Endowment Fund at Maine Coast Memorial Hospital, Attn: Jack Frost, 50 Union St., Ellsworth, ME 04605.

Arrangements by Jordan-Fernald, 1139 Main St., Mt. Desert.

Condolences may be expressed at www.jordanfernald.com