Janet Sandburg, middle daughter of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Carl Sandburg, died Friday at Spring Arbor in Hendersonville. She was 84.

Her niece, Paula Polega of Crab Creek, said Saturday she'll always have fond memories of Ms. Sandburg, who had a learning disability, but had a remarkable memory and made friends easily.

"Everybody that met her, whether they'd just met her or knew her a long time, felt at home," Polega said. "She had a warm, gentle nature. She was an extraordinarily refreshing person."

Born in Maywood, Ill., Janet Sandburg was raised in the Midwest, graduating from New Troy High School in Michigan. In 1945, she moved with her family from their home near Lake Michigan to the family's new residence at Connemara Farms in Flat Rock.

There she assisted in the care of her mother's internationally recognized Chikaming dairy goat herd, became an avid bird-watcher, and carried on an extensive correspondence with friends throughout the world.

Later, after Connemara became a National Historic Site in 1969, she lived in Asheville before returning to Hendersonville.

Carl Sandburg dedicated, in part, three books to her: Cornhuskers in 1918, Rootabaga Stories in 1922, and Rootabaga Pigeons in 1923.

Her sister, Helga Sandburg Crile, dedicated her first children's book, Joel and the Wild Goose to her in 1963; and her niece, Paula Steichen Polega, in part dedicated her book, My Connemara, to her in 1969. She was the inspiration for several of her father's poems, including "Sixteen Months" and "Baby Toes."

Sandburg is survived by her younger sister, Helga Sandburg Crile, of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and a niece and nephew. A family memorial service will be held in the future.