MAHER, JOSEPH NOONAN (1885-1955)

MAHER, JOSEPH NOONAN, railwayman and undertaker; b. Chatham, 21 Mar 1885, s/o James F. Maher and Margaret Mary Noonan; m. 1911, Theresa Holt, d/o Herbert Holt and Glornah Jardine, of Quarryville; d. Chatham, 24 Sep 1955.

J. Noonan Maher joined the workforce of the Canada Eastern Railway in 1905, at age twenty. He saw this small line taken over that year by the Intercolonial Railway, and he was with the ICR when it was integrated into the Canadian National Railways system. During the earlier years of his service he held the position of operator at most stations between Loggieville and Fredericton, and Campbellton and Newcastle. His last posting was at Chatham, where at different times he was operator, yard checker, information clerk, and ticket seller. He retired on pension in 1945.

In 1911 Noonan Maher and his brother Arthur M. Maher formed the undertaking firm of Maher Bros. In 1912 Arthur Maher was one of 200 undertakers who assisted at Halifax with the embalming of the victims of the Titanic. In 1916 the brothers bought the W. J. Hogan undertaking firm of Newcastle, and they later took over both Hackett's undertaking service of Chatham and Harriman's of Loggieville. Noonan Maher continued the business on his own after his brother's death in 1951.

Maher was involved in team sports in Chatham, as player, manager, and club president. He was also a member at one time of the Chatham Band. He was survived by his wife, Theresa Holt, who lived to age 102, two daughters, and two sons. His son Holt A. Maher founded a successful undertaking business in Campbellton in 1939.