Obituary of Gail Pike Harmon

Gail Ann Harmon Gail “Sis” Pike Harmon, 63, of Waterford passed away at home on May 4th following a brave battle with cancer. Gail was born in Bridgton on May 1st, 1949 to John and Phyllis Pike (both deceased) of North Bridgton. She graduated from Bridgton High School in the Class of 1967. After graduation, Gail lived in Portland and worked at the Maine Credit Union League. Gail married Stan Harmon, her high-school sweetheart and the love of her life, on February 15, 1969. She was primarily a home maker in Bridgton, except for a year that her family lived in Grants Pass, Oregon in the mid-1980s. After raising her two children, Gail started two Bridgton area businesses: “The Cover Girls”, a painting and wallpapering business, with her sister and then “The Fair Exchange” consignment store, which she ran with her husband and Karen Norton. Gail’s passions included her family, her many, many friends and most recently, spending time with her grandchildren. Gail was a voracious reader and she also enjoyed gardening, walking and cooking for everyone. She always enjoyed campfires and holidays, especially Thanksgiving and Easter, as well as any family gathering. Grace, beauty, dignity, generosity, her warmth and ability to mentor younger women as well as making everyone she met feel special, are some of Gail’s most memorable attributes… along with her wonderful smile. Surviving Gail is her husband, Stan, of 43 years, her son, Steve, his wife, Varvara, and their daughter Kate; her daughter, Natalie Veilleux, her husband, Jason, and grandson, Owen. Gail is survived by her older brother, Dale Pike and his wife, Jill, of Berlin, NH, Dale’s son Daniel, and their daughter, Megan. Also surviving Sis is her brother-in-law, Dennis Chadbourne, of Melbourne, FL, his daughter, Kristine Rogers, and his son, Jason Chadbourne. Gail was pre-deceased by her younger sister, Faye Chadbourne. Gail’s guiding philosophy is embodied in Teilhard de Chardin’s quotation, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience… we are spiritual beings having a physical experience.” In keeping with this philosophy, there will be a graveside service at the North Bridgton Cemetery, 63 Kimball Road, North Bridgton on Saturday May 19th at 1:00 p.m. Following the graveside ceremony, there will be a celebration of Gail’s life at the Bridgton Academy Dining Hall, 1 Hancock Drive, North Bridgton, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, Gail wished to have donations made to either Androscoggin Home Health and Hospice Care, PO Box 819, Lewiston, ME 04240 or the American Cancer Society, 1 Main St, Topsham, ME 04086.