1924 – 2004

PORTLAND – Janet B. Bickerstaff, 79, born Janet Andrews Bottomley in Camden, N.J. on June 10, 1924, died at 10:45 p.m. on Jan. 17, of congestive heart failure and complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. She was the daughter of Howland Bottomley and Ethel Andrews of Haddonfield, N.J.

She grew up in Haddonfield, N.J., and attended Moorestown Friends School. She graduated from Bradford Junior College with honors and went on to attend the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where she obtained a bachelor’s degree with honors. She also did some post-graduate study at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.

She loved to spend summers on Squirrel Island in Maine’s Boothbay Harbor region and was regarded as one of the island’s foremost spellers, taking on all comers in the July and August spelling bees, which she won quite often amongst stiff competition. It can now be told – she was the Ice Cream Fairy. She was known for her phenomenal intellect, able to hold her own in rarefied air of high academia. She was an avid reader and usually had at least one or two good books going.

Although she was quite modest about some of her other talents, she was an accomplished classically trained pianist, thrilling family and friends alike with her highly skillful renditions of popular pieces by Chopin, Debussy and Satie.

She was known to have a passion for children, dogs, crossword puzzles – in her prime she routinely completed the Sunday New York Times diagramless puzzles in 30-45 minutes refusing a pencil in favor of a pen – sailing, early American antique glass and “fingertip gardening,” pointing out where to perfectly place certain perennials for optimum effect.

She was known for being one of Squirrel Island’s beloved characters, famous for her own brand of eccentricity. She had a wry sense of humor and was famous for her uproarious laughter.

Survivors include her sister, Mary Wagner of Carmel, Calif.; sons, Thomas Bickerstaff of Lansdale, Pa., and Howland Bickerstaff of Westbrook; daughter, Mary BickerstaffWhitney of New Gloucester; grandsons, Capt. Thomas Bickerstaff Jr. of Del Rio, Texas, and Capt. David Bickerstaff of Val Dosta, Ga.; granddaughters, Morgan Bickerstaff of New Gloucester and Rachel Brennecke of Amsterdam, The Netherlands; and great-granddaughter, Mia MaryAnn Bickerstaff of Valdosta, Ga. She will be sorely missed.