Longtime Juneau resident and painter Herb Bonnett died this morning at the age of 87.
Bonnett’s paintings of boats, planes and iconic local landmarks are all over Juneau, including a very large painting on the back wall of the Juneau Assembly’s chambers at City Hall.
Daughter Michelle Bonnet Hale said he’s very well known by “old Juneau.”
“You can just see his prints all over town,” Hale said. “And lots of his prints in banks – so he’s got a print of the old Douglas bridge, he’s got prints of ferries. One of the more recent prints that he has is called ‘Rainy night in Juneau’ and it’s looking up Franklin Street on a rainy night.”
Hale said her father signed his paintings Bonnet, but he was officially Bonnett with two Ts.
Herb Bonnett was the son of an AJ Mine electrical engineer. He was born at St. Ann’s Hospital in 1930 and grew up in Thane and Douglas. He drew and painted for decades.
Hale said her father died peacefully at the Juneau Pioneer Home.
“He had a very good run of it, very long, good life in Juneau and Southeast on his boats with his friends,” Hale said.
Mail condolences for the family to Michelle Hale at 4431 Taku Boulevard, Juneau, 99801. A tribute is being planned.
Jeremy Hsieh is the deputy managing editor of the KTOO newsroom in Juneau. He’s a podcast fiend who’s worked in journalism since high school as a reporter, editor and television producer. He ran Gavel Alaska for 360 North from 2011 to 2016, and is big on experimenting with novel tools and mediums (including the occasional animated gif) to tell stories and demystify the news. Jeremy’s an East Coast transplant who moved to Juneau in 2008.
