John Maher, 56, died Dec. 9, and was found under the snow in Glover-Archibald Park in Northwest. He was the first hypothermia death in Washington, D.C. this winter.
Maher had been a client of the Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place since 1996. He was mainstay of the community at Friendship Place, with an infectious sense of humor, and went out of his way to express his care and concern for his family at Friendship Place and for his friends on the street.
He was also in regular contact with his mother, Margaret, who was devoted to him.
Though Maher stayed for long period of time in the shelters or in rooming house, he preferred to stay on the streets. As he would say “I like to walk…don’t like the walls.”
The loss of Maher has left many heartbroken and will be mourned by all.
