James Joseph Michael Maher

James “Jim” Joseph Michael Maher, 69, died on January 20th surrounded by love at home. Jim was born on July 21, 1953 in Indianapolis and was the son of Barbara (Lawson) Maher and Thomas Maher. He is survived by his wife of 43 years Mary Campbell Maher, his six children Monica Maher, Joanna (Maher) Negler, Rachel Campbell-Maher Stevens, Collin Campbell-Maher, Lydia Campbell-Maher, and Caitlyn Campbell-Maher, his children’s spouses Canyon Carlin, Michael Negler, Ryan Stevens, and Katie Polemis, his four grandchildren Rose Negler, Eleanor Negler, Lucas Stevens, Leo Maher, and his dog Lola. He is also the beloved brother of Karen Maher (preceded in death), Thomas Maher, Patty (Maher) Sprague, Dee Maher, Sam (Maher) Harris, and Dan Maher. He had a rich family life and is remembered for being a devoted and reliable father, cooking delicious, home-grown family meals, sharing his lifelong sense of humor and wit, his passion for music and deep conversation, and being hopelessly in love with his wife, Mary.

Jim was a devoted gardener, nurturing a beautiful backyard oasis in Indianapolis, helping his children start their own gardens, and spending years tending to the garden at Trinity Episcopal Church. He was a poet and left a rich legacy of creative works to treasure, such as “lessons from an earthworm.”

Jim retired in 2020 after years of working as an Operations Manager for Markey’s Audio-Visual. He was responsible for the behind-the-scenes expertise for countless concerts in Indiana, California, and Louisiana. Moreover, he led the Markey’s team at Eli Lilly for years of groundbreaking research presentations. In his youth, he served in the Army and also was an outspoken proponent for peace and pacifism.

Jim is loved for his kindness, intelligence, humor, humility, generosity, creativity, wisdom, selflessness, loyalty, and acts of service. He regularly surprised his loved ones with weeding their yards, scraping ice from windshields, changing flat tires, and filling their gas tanks. He volunteered at Trinity Church as a youth group leader and chaperoned many teens on their pilgrimages. As a talented photographer and videographer, he documented those trips and all vacations with his family. His playful use of words was evidenced in his mastery of puns and abundant jokes that brought levity to even the most difficult moments.

Jim bravely fought an aggressive battle with lung cancer and was thankful to end this life showered with love and support from his big and boisterous family. He is irreplaceable and will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.