John Gabriel Maher

John Gabriel Maher passed away on October 25, 2011 in Pleasant Hill, California. John was born and raised in Napa, CA, the youngest son of James and Mary Maher, and was one of 8 siblings. He attended St. John the Baptist School followed by Justin-Siena High School and then St. Mary's College in Moraga where he graduated in 1978. He met his true love Lynette in 1983 and their pride and joy are their two children, Aisling and Gareth. He loved to hear Aisling sing and Gareth's wonderful sense of humor. He was so proud of his family. He closely followed his St. Mary's Gaels, especially the men's basketball team as well as his awesome Giant's, their World Series win in 2010 being a real highlight. John was fun loving and had numerous friends throughout the spectrum of his life, from his high school buddies to his St. Mary's friends to his Cal Berkeley fraternity buds. He knew everybody and always found a way to stay in touch. Known by his close friends as the "Senator" or "Z" or just plain "Tony" he was very outgoing and always the life of the party. He will be truly missed by all. John had become an avid cyclist in recent years and rode often. He thoroughly enjoyed sharing his love of biking with his children, Aisling and Gareth. He was also very active in the Diabetic Youth Foundation and had served on the board for many years. In addition, he loved traveling to his wife's native country of Great Britain and spending time with her family there. John had an enormous heart and loved his family. He is survived by his wife, Lynette, daughter, Aisling and son, Gareth of Pleasant Hill. Also survived by brothers, Jim (& wife Carolyn) Maher of Benicia, Joe (& wife Gail) Gallagher of Bend, Oregon, and Frank Maher; sisters Mary Maher of Napa, Patty (&husband Brent) August of Lafayette, Maureen (& husband Richard) of Carmichael, and Kate Maher-Hoime of Sacramento; mother in-law Rona Felton of Wales, sister in-law Kathleen Felton of England, and brother in-law John Felton of New Zealand; plus numerous nieces and nephews. He is pre-deceased by his parents. Visitation will be on Thursday, November 3 at Oak Park Hills Chapel, 3111 N. Main St., Walnut Creek from 6:00-8:00 pm with a vigil at 7:00 PM. Funeral services will follow on Friday, November 4, 10:00 am at Christ the King Church, 199 Brandon Rd., Pleasant Hill. Interment at Queen of Heaven Cemetery, Lafayette, CA. In lieu of flowers the Maher Family requests donations be made to the Diabetes Youth Foundation at 5167 Clayton Rd. Suite #F Concord, CA 94521-3163 or at www.dyf.org/ Visitation Thursday, November 3, 2011 06:00 pm-08:00 pm Funeral Home