Obituary of Gerry W. Maher

Gerry W. Maher, born July 17, 1949, to Glennon Edward Maher and Mary Elizabeth (Botts) Maher, died of complications of paralysis on April 23, 2019.  Gerry grew up in Excelsior, attending St. John’s the Baptist school and then Benilde St. Margaret’s.  He raised his family in the Chanhassen area, sharing life and experiences with lifelong friends and neighbors in Greenwood Shores.  Gerry’s love of his early adult life, Krissan (Meriwether) Maher, died in 1998. She is memorialized in a beautiful spot on the walking path around Lake Ann, where Gerry, friends and neighbors created a bench and viewing area for all to enjoy in her honor.  Gerry is survived by the love of his later adult life, his wife Lucille (Hawkes) Maher; together they loved to travel and adventure until his accident. Then, they learned to change their focus and enjoy other adventures together in their new circumstances.  She has been utterly devoted to him and his care. Gerry is also survived by his son Eric (Jessica) Maher; son Brent(Julie); daughter Mandy (Maher) Mishal (Sam); and his grandchildren Dillon, Quyana, Alec, D’Aviyan; D’Marco; Leah; Khalyma, Garrett; Lucille’s granddaughters Helena Moore and Emma Hawkes; as well as his brothers Pat, Mike, and Tim and their families. 

Gerry was a handy guy to have around, and was always willing to lend a hand and an opinion to family, friends and neighbors engaged in home improvement projects.  He had a phenomenal sense of humor and energy level, and is legendary in Greenwood Shores for his hijinks.  An unfortunate accident later in life left Gerry with paralysis but didn’t stem his sense of humor, as many nurses could tell you.

Special thanks to the Courage Center, to Waconia Ridgeview Hospice, to home health care aide Cassie for her patience and assistance, and to his brother Pat, who came from sunny California to help care for Gerry in his last weeks so he could stay at home. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to the Miami Project To Cure Paralysis, or to The Innocence Project of Minnesota which Gerry greatly enjoyed reading about. Celebration of Life 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 28^th at the Snyder Auditorium, University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum (no admission fee required).