Margaret Mary Richards

Margaret was a woman that always looked forward with a personality filled with empathy toward everyone she met. She could be quiet and reserved, but her style of communication was authentic and direct. An excellent communicator, Margaret was a master at using imagery when she explained her ideas and innovative concepts. Her sensitivity, kindness and generous attitude made her a wonderful friend for all who knew her.

From the time she was born on April 11, 1930, Margaret showed a deep concern for others. She was a giving and caring individual, ethical and full of integrity and warmth. Her parents were Edmund and Olive Richards. Margaret was born, raised and attended school in Yarmouth, Maine. Margaret graduated from North Yarmouth Academy in 1949 and lived in Yarmouth until her love for the sea led her to Peaks Island where she lived as year-round resident for 47+ years.

As a young girl, Margaret was an independent person who had a vivid imagination. Margaret had a number of interests in her youth. She was an active child. In her spare time she liked riding her bike so much that people would kid her and say “can you walk”. Her other loves since early childhood included writing poetry, music and drawing. This is a poem Margaret wrote about her childhood:

I Remember Yesterday

I remember yesterday and all the things I use to do,

How I played in Barbour’s Field and where the wild iris grew.

And Tannery Brook in winter was like a winter paradise,

I spent endless hours there, playing on the ice.

Up on the end of Summer Street there was a place we called,

Round The Turn,

And every kid that played baseball went up there to learn.

The fields were filled with lilies of the valley and they perfumed the summer air,

But the fields and lilies have long since gone, and now there are houses there.

On every February 22nd our town joined in a celebration,

They would light a gigantic bonfire to honor the father of our nation.

I recall the big parades on every Fourth of July,

And the magic of fireworks that lit up the nighttime sky.

These were the days when we got our nickels worth, sometime even more,

When we bought penny candy, down at Andy’s Handy store.

On Saturday night the band would play above Charlie’s barbershop

And anyone passing by suddenly would stop.

It was as though they were listening to Sousa, as music filled the air,

And I have such fond memories of all of this because my parents took me there.

Yes I recall with fondness those days that use to be,

The days of hopscotch and alley pots, the days of simplicity.

And when I think of Yarmouth, I recall how way back when,

Nearly every house on West Main Street kept chickens in a pen.

Margaret was a one of a kind person with all her talents she still made time to enjoy friends and people in general. She was genuinely friendly, kind and considerate of others, very trusting, she took everyone at face value and never judged. Those who really knew Margaret recognized that she could be full of surprises. Margaret enjoyed a small group of lifelong friends along with her many other friends. She would willingly support a friend or anyone when they needed it.

As an imaginative and inventive person, Margaret was comfortable showing her creative spirit. She enjoyed her leisure time by taking part in various hobbies. Once Margaret took on a new project, she saw it through to its completion. Some of her favorite pursuits were writing poetry and music, making crafts and participating in poetry readings for senior groups. Everyone was always in amazement when she would start reciting from memory all of the poems she had ever written including her entire book. Margaret enjoyed her hobbies and interests and was always willing to share them with everyone.

Margaret was a woman with clear convictions and high principles, and her faith was important to her. She was an inspiration to many people who recognized her sense of commitment and esteem for others. She was a member of Sacred Heart Church in Yarmouth and later St. Christopher’s Church on Peaks Island.

As someone who treasured harmony and quiet, Margaret was looking forward to retirement and made the most of it enjoying every day. That day finally came in 1994, and Margaret was well prepared. In retirement, she found a renewed pleasure in painting and sculpting miniature flowers and arrangements, true-to-life as well as whimsical characters, amazing colorful jewelry and other items from clay. She opened a craft shop on Peaks Island called Unique Things. She wrote and self-published a book of poetry entitled "Memories, Thoughts and Forget-Me-Nots”. One of the most popular poems in her book is “The Gypsies. “ One day after being purchased a customer came back and asked her permission to put it to music, she said yes. When he had it finished he sent her some of the CDs he had made. It is great!

THE GYPSIES

I watched and I waited for like the lilacs

They returned with each new spring

And with them came a dance and a strange romance

That I found so worth remembering

And I would ask my father to take me

Out to where they pitched their tent

And I listened with fascination

As the gypsies sang their lament

And I watched with a wide eyed wonder

As their colorful skirts did swirl

For it was here that the dark-eyed gypsy man

Danced with the gypsy girl

I can still hear the sounds of their violins

And the clicks of their castanets

For these are childhood memories

Which I never shall forget

I can still see the flames from their fire

As it licked at the springtime sky

And the smell of fresh bread

Still swirls through my head

These memories never die

It has been years since I saw the gypsies

I wonder where they went

I miss their romantic lifestyle

And the sounds of their lament

And often I stop and I wonder

If perhaps in some far distance town

In the spring of the year

If one should listen they’d hear

That lonely gypsy sound

Margaret M. Richards

1996

On the day before she died, while lying in her hospital bed, Margaret composed the following poem.

There’s no difference between you and I

For the moment we’re born we start to die

We’ll never know when, how or where

One thing we can be sure of, we’ll both be there.

Margaret passed away on January 3, 2012 at Maine Medical Center, Portland, Maine. Services were held at Sacred Heart Church, Yarmouth Maine. Margaret was laid to rest in Holy Cross cemetery, Yarmouth Maine.

Though she could be a private person at times, Margaret was always able and willing to give of herself. Margaret carried with her a mystical sense of life which is clearly shown throughout her poetry. She was a person who was highly original in her thinking and in her everyday life. A poetic and intuitive person, Margaret Mary Richards shared herself freely. Her family and friends will remember Margaret for the strength of her convictions.

Do we miss her?

Would the stars miss the sky?

Would the bee miss the rose?

If suddenly it should die?

Yes, we shall always miss her,

but she shall never be gone

for far beyond the finale

that comes with death

her memory shall still live on.