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'If you cherish the memories, you will have those forever,' close friends remember Barbara Bush

"The whole country is feeling a loss today," said Helen Thorgalsen, co-owner of H.B. Provisions general store in downtown Kennebunkport.

KENNEBUNKPORT (NEWS CENTER Maine) -- Close friends of former first lady Barbara Bush expressed a combination of sadness at her passing, and joy of the memories they made with her.

”The whole country is feeling a loss today," said Helen Thorgalsen, co-owner of H.B. Provisions general store in downtown Kennebunkport. ”She always made you feel important, always made you feel like you were somebody. That was one of her great gifts.”

Mrs. Bush signed Thorgalsen and her wife's wedding certificate.

Thorgalsen and Clement remember Mrs. Bush's handwritten notes, and say they will never forget those personal touches.

Friends like Bob and Evelyn Paine remember their countless meetings with the Bush family, through paintings and pets.

"She made you feel like you were important to them, not them important to you," said Evelyn Paine.

As dozens adorned Ganny's Garden and the 'Anchor to Windward' with flowers, people who never met the First Lady took time to handwrite their own notes, thanking her for her impact on the United States and Maine.

”You only lose the physical piece but you have the memories. If you cherish them, you will have those forever," said Clement.

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