HARPSWELL — Longtime Harpswell resident, Janet Gates Bonney, children’s book author and gift shop entrepreneur, died peacefully on Friday, Oct. 24, 2014, at age 90 in Bath, ME. She spent over 40 years living in Harpswell and 28 of those years operating her Fur and Feather Farm Gift Shop which gave her great joy as well as developing a devoted following and countless long lasting friendships.

Janet was born in Montclair, N.J., in 1924, the daughter of Janet M. and Franklin H. Gates and granddaughter of Emma C. and Frederick T. Gates. She was a 1942 graduate of The Kimberley School in Montclair and on Dec. 23, 1945, married 1st Division Marine Alfred Bonney III. After WWII, the couple settled in Montclair where Alfred began his long career as a realtor and then mortgage banker and Janet became a devoted housewife and mother to their three daughters. They were both active members of The First Congregational Church of Montclair.

In 1970, they moved their family from New Jersey to a more peaceful lifestyle in Harpswell, and it was there that Janet discovered where she was meant to live the rest of her life, at her Fur and Feather Farm. She had a great gift for gardening and landscaped her property with magnificent flowers and shrubs. She shared her lifelong passion for animals with countless visitors of all ages who came to her farm to pet her rabbits and numerous cats, savor the eggs from her chickens and ducks and delight in her tales of her cherished dogs.

Her creative talents seemed endless, selling delectable raspberries, hand knit hats, and thousands of handmade potholders from her shop. Janet’s fame became well established when, aided by her dog Martha, she rescued her chicken, Valerie, by administering CPR. The event became worldwide news through print, television and Hollywood film. In 1999, Janet, Martha, and Valerie starred in the PBS documentary: The Natural History of the Chicken, and in 2008, at the age of 84, Janet penned the delightful children’s book, “Martha to the Rescue” and became a published author.

She is survived by her three daughters, Linda Wolgast of Tucson, AZ; Christine Huppe of Pittsfield, MA; and Barbara Bonney of Salzburg, Austria, as well as six grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Janet will be greatly missed by her family, many friends, and caregivers who helped to ensure that she was as happy and comfortable as possible in the final years of her life.

Any memorial donations in her name would be gratefully received by The Humane Society of which she was a long-standing member: The Humane Society of the United States, Dept. HACDQ 1000904001, 2100 L Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20037.

No memorial service has been scheduled at this time.

Her philosophy and favorite saying was always, “never say I can’t; say I’ll try.”

Arrangements are under the direction and care of Brackett Funeral Home in Brunswick.