Colonel John Wallace Maher III, USAR, Ret.
Colonel John Wallace Maher III, USAR, Ret. passed away on March 25, 2018 surrounded by his loving family.
John (Jack) was born on May 21, 1928 in Devils Lake, ND, the middle child of Alice Gunderson Maher of Aneta, ND and Charles Howard Maher of Devils Lake, ND.
Jack was an Eagle Scout and played on the high school football team. He graduated from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln in 1951 with a BA in Business and Agriculture and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant through the ROTC program. Following initial training he served two years as a tank platoon commander on the German/Czech border during the Korean War.
Upon completion of active duty, Jack began his career in land development in the Southwestern US. He married Helen Jane Bray, native of San Francisco in 1967. They began their family in Bellevue, WA, and moved to Bainbridge Island, WA in 1976. Jack continued his career in land development in the Pacific Northwest with Transamerica, St. Regis, Pope and Talbot and as an independent consultant. Concurrently, he served in the US Army reserves, graduating from the Army Command and General Staff College and serving with the 365th Civil Affairs Brigade. He retired from service 1988 and from his civilian profession in 2010.
An active supporter of the Boy Scouts, Jack served as an Assistant Scoutmaster and as a Board Member of the Chief Seattle District. He enjoyed home renovation, gardening, and music. In his later years, Jack and Helen lived in Silver Spring, MD and East Providence, RI to be near their children.
Jack is survived by his wife of 51 years Helen Jane Maher and his two children Cdr. Charles Howard Maher III, US Navy, Ret. with his wife Sandra D. Maher, MS, RAC and Brigid Anne Maher Associate Professor at American University, as well as his five grandchildren: Felippe Maher, Jordan White, Maeve Maher, Stanley Maher Rippin and Joe Maher Rippin. Jack was preceded by his older brother Charles Howard Maher II and younger sister Virginia Maher Mellencamp.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Our Lady of Mercy in East Greenwich, RI on Saturday, April 7, 2018 at 11:00AM. Burial with military honors to take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Boy Scouts of America (www.scouting.org/give).
