I had enough to worry about on my wedding day. I had a family full of people who could embarrass me at the drop of a hat. My best man had an incriminating picture hidden in his tuxedo jacket that he kept threatening to show my wife. I didn’t need the celebrant losing track of things.

But that’s just what happened. After I did my vows – or Maria did hers, I forget who went first – things skipped ahead to the next part without allowing the other one of us to say the vows. I tried to get the celebrants attention, but it took a moment or two, so we had to backtrack and re-do the vows then get to the rings part.

That’s my favorite Maggie Hormel story. There are others, but the laughter she brought while celebrating my wedding will always top the list.

I felt an extra twinge of sadness when I heard Mayor Maggie had died. Her daughter Heidi is a close friend, so we knew one of Hanover’s brightest lights pretty well. Some of her health problems mirrored those of my late mother, who passed five years ago last Friday. Maggie also had a spunkiness that reminded me of my Mom.

For many, the lasting legacy Maggie created will be the rule about not putting chairs for the Halloween parade on the street until the afternoon before the parade started. I was still working as a reporter when this took place so had a front-row seat.

She loved this town. She loved its quirks and traditions, but she also wanted people to respect the sliver of the York County that the county seat often forgets. She approached the chair topic the same way she did everything else – with a mischievous smile.

She totally understood people wanting to save a spot for the best parade in town, but she probably thought, like many, that the sidewalks just looked bad with chairs and benches and blankets strewn about for a week or more before the parade. That might sound petty to some, but I think it truly captured Maggie’s spirit. You can have fun and show civic pride, but make sure you don’t embarrass yourself while doing so.

I saw Maggie a couple of months ago after one of the “Lost in Yonkers’ Performances at the Hanover Little Theatre. She came to the Sunday matinee. We held the curtain for a little bit because she hadn’t arrived – those are the perks of being the ex-mayor and having a daughter in the cast.

After the show, I was out in the audience talking to my wife and took the time to give Maggie some good-natured grief for holding up the show. We chatted, then she gave me a big hug goodbye. I’m so glad she did because that’s the last time I saw her.

Very few people get the opportunity to make a positive impression on so many people. Mayor Maggie had that chance and did it by simply reminding people that a smile and a laugh can go a long way. Especially on your wedding day.