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BORN
1940
DIED
2025
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John Maier Obituary
John enjoyed skiing, backpacking, hiking, photography and reading. After retiring and moving to Bellingham in 2000, he spent many years volunteering for Bellingham Parks, building and maintaining the trails to and around Hoag's Pond. His dedication and various projects there made it possible to circle the pond year-round. His constant companion during his trail work was his beloved Bichon Frisé named Rosie. After Rosie's passing, he adopted another Bichon Frisé named Lily, who was also a loyal companion.
John earned bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees and spent his career working as a Behavioral Psychologist in California, at Napa State Hospital and Sonoma State Developmental Center. In the 1960s he served two years in the Peace Corps in Colombia, and later served two years as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, training infantry troops at Fort Shafter in Honolulu, Hawaii.
John was predeceased by his parents and his brother, Michael E. Maier. He is survived by his former wife Karen Maier of Napa, Calif., and his niece Monica Fiscus and husband Ben, of Black Diamond, Wash. Memorials may be made to Bellingham Parks, Forterra - Land for Good, The Nature Conservancy or a nature charity of your choice. John Maier
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Memories and Condolences
for John Maier
Sponsored by Mt. Baker Cremation Society - Bellingham.
2 Entries
Eric L Carlson
September 24, 2025
I met John in 1991 when I was starting applied behavior analysis work after years of basic lab research in behavior analysis. John was assigned to mentor me (and probably to keep me from doing too much damage to our clients). He and I quickly became colleagues, and backpacking and skiing buddies, and remained life-long friends. He was both a scientific determinist and a staunch humanist. His verbal behavior was often laconic and he was a self-described curmudgeon, but he viewed humanity with a sense of amused humor and he had a heart of gold. Happy and lucky is any person who finds one or two friends like John in a lifetime. He is remembered fondly and will be be sorely missed.
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Mt. Baker Cremation Society - Bellingham4131 Hannegan Rd Suite 106, Bellingham, WA 98226
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