If Mabell L. Safford of Palm Bay, Florida, had had an opportunity to write her own obituary, it would have been sassy and hysterically funny. An 80-pound firecracker, Mabell left this world on July 14, 2015, and the need to write her obituary was left to her family.

Born on July 7, 1939, in Lewiston, Maine, Mabell was the beloved daughter of Cyrus P. and Marian E. Ashe. With beautiful blue eyes and honey-blond hair, Mabell sang, danced and charmed her way through childhood — taking dance lessons from Mary C. Cunningham and performing frequently with her sister Judy as part of the Gary Meister singing group, the Maine Ramblers. Mabell graduated from high school in 1957 and still has many friends and classmates who remember her as a splurge of energy cheering her way through the “blue n’ white” halls of old Morse High in Bath, Maine.

Fondly known as “Boo,” “Nanny Boo,” “Aunt Boo,” or “the lady with the chocolate advent calendars,” Mabell shared many interests with friends and family — birds, flowers, bingo, cooking, sewing, crafts, collecting shells, playing cards, and having fun. Holding court on her 76th birthday, Mabell reminded us of how clever, how tender, how thoughtful, and how kind a human being can be.

Mabell is survived by her husband, Forest S. Safford of Palm Bay, Florida; her devoted sons and daughters-inlaw

— Marshall G. and Deborah L. Libby and Mathew A. and Kimberly A. Libby, all of Bath, Maine; her cherished grandchildren Mathew A Libby Jr., Ashley M. Libby, and Nathan M. Libby, also from Bath, Maine; her sisters and brothers-in-law Judy and John Dill of Kingfield, Maine, Linda and Barry Bishop of Newark, Ohio, and Kathi and Tim Burns of Port St. Lucie, Florida; numerous nieces and nephews; a number of close friends including Rita, Debbie, Edna, and Paula; and her pets — Charm, Itsy Bitsy, and Bobby Tail. Mabell’s parents preceded her in death as did her first husband, “Zeke” G. Libby, and faithful pets — Thunder, Bobo, and Petey.

We struggle to say goodbye to Mabell because of her ever-presence in our lives. She lit up a room with her wit and sass.

In September, we will celebrate Mabell’s life at her favorite place on earth — the “little camp” at the mouth of the New Meadows River near Phippsburg, Maine. Those who wish to remember Mabell in some special way may send their local humane society a few dollars as Mabell never found a cat or a dog she didn’t find a way to take care of. Honoring her in this way would please her. Mabell’s last words to her grandchildren and nieces and nephews were STOP SMOKING. Smoking cut her life short. Mabell wished to live many more years. We wished that too.