The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-12-19
ex-servicenen

Waterbury ex-servicemen are mourning the loss of pr. Thomas F. Maher, 62, chief medical officer of the U. s. Veterans Hospital in Newington, who was called to his reward yesterday noon following a brief illness.
 This city will be well represented at the funeral Saturday morning at 10 o'clock in St. Mary's church, New ington. Rev. George F. Clark, pas tor and chaplain of the hospital and a native of this city, will cele- brate the solemn high Mass. Burial will be in St. Lawrence cemetery, New Haven.
 The body was placed in state this morning in the Veterans hos pital auditorium in Newington where it will lie until Saturday morning at 9:15 o'clock.
 Dr. Maher was taken to New Haven hospital six weeks ago for observation and returned to New inton seriously ill last week. His condition became critical Tuesday A veteran medical officer, pr. Ma her first came here October 1, 1929, from Providence, R. l., to assume the post of regional medical officer for the Veterans Administration in Hartford and two years later be- came medical chief at the hospital. He was born in New Haven, May 10, 1878 and was graduated from Hillhouse high school in 1897 and from Yale Medical school in 1901. After serving his interneship in New Haven hospital he went to Ecuador where he was employed by the South American Developing com pany until 1908 and later served as a mining surgeon with the Mag apil Copper company and Cia Mi- nera-dePenoles, Saitillo and Napini, Mexico, until the United States en- tered the World War
 Joined Army in 1917
 Returning to this country, Dr Maher received commission as first lieutenant ill the United States Army Medical Corps in August, 1917. First assigned to Camp Meade he was later transferred to Camp Travis, Texas, to assist in organiza- tion of Army Base hospital No. 81 On completion of this work he was sent to France and assigned as executive officer of the hospital To- cated at Neufchateau. He frequently served as medical officer in first aid stations at the front and saw action at Verdun and during the St. Mihiel drive. In March, 1918 he received his captains commission.
 Returning from France after the war. Dr. Maher was given his dis charge July 10, 1919, and after a year of private practice was com missioned a surgeon in the United Statss Public Health Service on September l, 1920. He was assigned to Providence, R. l., as executive officer in charge of medical activi- ties with the Bureau of War Risk Insurance and held this post until August 1, 1922, when he was trans ferred to the newly created United States Veterans Bureau. He was placed in charge of the Rhode Is- land area of the bureau on June 1, 1924, and remained there until his transfer to Hartford. Early in 1929 he took a three-months post-gradu- ate course at the Diagnostic Center of the Veterans Administration in Washington, D. c. At the time of his death he held a commission as major in the United States Army Reserve.
 Member of Societies
 Dr. Maher wa sa fellow of the American Medical Association, a member of the Hartford County Medical Association, Hartford Med- icaI Society and the Connecticut State Medical Society. He also was a member of the American Legion