Janet Marie I'Aboni
February 1, 1958 ~ June 16, 2024
Resided in:
South Portland, Maine
South Portland - Janet (Swanton) I'Aboni, age 66, passed away at her home in South Portland, surrounded by her family, on June 16, 2024, following a courageous battle with cancer.
Born February 1, 1958, in Cambridge, MA to Leonard Hills and Louise (McHugh) Swanton. Janet leaves siblings, Patricia Caira (Edward), Carole Knox (Gregory), Leonard, William, James Swanton, and her sibling/cousins, Joyce Pilicy (Paul), and Beverly Goodwin. Jan was predeceased by her younger brother, John Swanton in 2021.
Jan is survived by her husband of 44 years, James I'Aboni, and her children, Luke, Emily, and Daniel I'Aboni. She was also the greatest Mimi in the world to her three beloved grandchildren, Mathew, Nolan, Charlotte (Birdie) I'Aboni, and Birdie's mom, Patricia Brown. Jan was an amazing, fun and creative aunt to Taryn, Melissa, Jason, Paul, Kelly, Lisa, Erin, Monica, Joseph, Abigail, Thomas, Ashen, Allison, Samantha, as well as great aunt to Elle, Hannah, Ashford, Eamon, Maxwell, Lucy, Maezie, and Zachary. Janet also leaves many dear, lifelong friends and cousins.
Janet was a 1976 graduate of Waltham High School. Following graduation, Jan and her cousin, Terri, went on an adventurous backpacking trip across the United States. Janet returned home to Waltham and eventually met her future husband, Jim. After they married, Jan and Jim lived in Londonderry, NH. During that time, Luke and Emily were born. Due to a job transfer for Jim, they moved to South Portland, ME. Youngest son Daniel was born there and the family has now lived in Maine for over 40 years.
When her children were young, Janet perfected the art of building an apple pie (her words). In no time, Janet's homemade apple pies became a coveted dessert at holiday dinners .. everyone's holiday dinners! She began taking orders, and before she knew it, she had a waiting list and her first "at home" business. Janet also taught herself to decorate cakes and created many truly magnificent and memorable cakes for family and friends.
Then .. she began to sew. Jan sewed curtains, furniture covers, pillows, and eventually dresses for the little "girlies" in her life (again, her words). The dresses were made to suit the child, with unique buttons and fabulous fabrics. They were simply beautiful and will be worn by many little girlies to come; they are that special.
Janet loved animals. ALL of them. She developed an interest in Ragdoll cats in the mid 1990's. Never one to do anything halfway, before long, she and Jim became respected breeders of Ragdolls, many of which won medals at area cat shows. It was through the maintenance and grooming of the Ragdolls, that Jan became intrigued with pet grooming. She researched the profession, as well as different techniques, eventually opening a pet grooming shop called Creature Comforts with husband Jim. They ran the business out of a side building of their home. The animals she groomed loved her, as did their owners. Jan could have the most cantankerous dog or cat eating out of her hand within minutes of meeting them. She took great pride in her work and loved what she did. Her appointments were booked a year in advance and there was a waiting list for hopeful, potential clients.
Always learning, Janet trained in a type of energy healing called Reiki, eventually reaching the level of Reiki Master.
Janet was a remarkable person in every sense of the word. She loved her family fiercely and was always ready to drop what she was doing to talk, help, or just listen. Janet was genuine, humble, and an incredibly hard worker. And we will miss her forever.
A Celebration of Janet's life on August 17, 2024 at 1:00 p.m, in Janet's gardens located at 311 Ocean Street, South Portland, Maine. Relatives and friends are warmly invited.
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So sorry for the loss of your loved sister.
So sorry to hear about the tremendous loss of Jan (Mimi). She was an amazing woman and an even better grandmother to Matt. Jan took me in, was a mother figure when I needed one most. She taught me to groom animals. I am forever grateful for her love and kindness. The entire I’Aboni family are in my thoughts during this time.
She was a wonderful friend, kind, supportive, bright, creative, wise, compassionate and considerate. I will miss our talks, her smile, lunches, walks, we even went on a trip together. She will always hold a special place in my heart🩷
I believe Janet worked with me at Me Med Ctr. A lovely lady. Always smiling.
I started a new school in the 3rd grade and met Janet. We became fast friends that lasted for a lifetime. I was lucky enough to also find several lifetime friends at that time and we all became inseparable through our teens until we all started our “adult” lives and then began sharing our family events and memories. I was a staple at Janet’s family home growing up and always felt welcome even though 8 children lived in the home! Mrs. Swanton was famous for always having brownies on the stove. One story that comes to mind is when Janet & I had an apartment after high school. Janet had a beautiful black cat who purred all day but became a predator at night! Whenever our friends stayed over after a night out the cat would attack and terrorize them! That didn’t stop our nights out together with many, many memories! Janet was always so full of life and fun. I could always count on her for anything. I will forever cherish our time together and I will always be grateful to the Swanton family for being an “honorary” member. Love, Karen
All the time!
Everything!
Janet is so missed…a piece of our puzzle is gone. Deepest condolences 💔
I am one of Darby’s many cousins. My name is Lorraine. I spent a lot of time with her growing up. My mom was Aunt Louise’s sister. We would get together almost every weekend. I have many great memories of her. The fondest memory I have was spending the weekend at her house on Goldencrest Road in Waltham. We were playing house and it was cold out so we both were wearing tights. I noticed that she was wearing just her tights. I asked her if I could do that too and she said yes. I was pretty surprised because it wasn’t allowed in my house. It was such a freeing feeling. I don’t recall spending the night at her house after that. I will never forget her She was full of life and had such an outgoing personality and sense of humor. My heart goes out to her family and my cousins who have survived her loss. Love you Darby, may you rest in peace.
Patti & Family,
Very sorry for your loss. All my sympathy to you and your family!
xoxoxo
Jane you have been an apart of my life since I was 10 years old. I am thankful for the time you spent with me and the knowledge I gained around grooming animals. We will miss you
She was one of the sweetest people I ever met. Always welcoming. I will miss your smile.
I loved my cousin Janet. We were very close growing up. I would stay over night and we would hang out. We even went to Florida for a week back in late 70s. She was one of the nicest people I knew and will miss her terribly.
ew
Will miss you alot you are likefamily
Who would of know she ended up being a grammy to charlies grand daughter.
She was my neighbor and my daughter grew up with her kids
She was so kind and loved her animals. Plus was the best mom wife grandmother and friend that I will never forget her kindness and smile
Growing up with all the cousins was wonderful, so many good times we shared over the years. Janet, affectionately known as “Darby” will be sorely missed. May you rest in peace. Give Aunt Anne a hug and kiss for me. ❤️