Gladys Louise Maher

Gladys Louise Maher died Tuesday, July 1, 2014 at Chandler Regional Medical Center in Chandler, Arizona following a short illness. She was 69 years old. Louise, as she was affectionately known, was born on a Thursday, July 20, 1944 in Springerville, Apache County, Arizona to her parents, the late Warren Wendell and Ivy (Whiting) Waters. The Waters Family made their home in St. Johns. She loved growing up in that quaint community and explored just about every square inch of the area. Louise was a true scholar and was an Honor Student at St. Johns High School. and accelerated in just about every subject. She learned, early in life, the value of hard work. A trait she learned from her Waters and Whiting pioneer heritage. While in high school, Louise worked at the old movie theater in St. Johns and was virtually known by everybody in town. After she graduated from high school, she began working as a dental assistant for Dr. Jack Gibbons in St. Johns. On February 19, 1962 Louise began a new chapter in her life when she married her childhood sweetheart, Terry G. Maher, in Gallup, New Mexico. She had known him since she was 12 years old. As newlyweds, the couple made their home in the San Francisco and Alameda area of northern California while Terry was serving in the U.S. Navy. Their marriage was later solemnized on March 23, 1963 in the Los Angeles Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where they were sealed for time and all eternity. Together, they were blessed to be the parents of 5 beautiful children. In 1976, Louise began operating a very successful bookstore, Beehive Books, in St. Johns and had the opportunity to own it for several years. She always loved a good book and instilled within her children the importance of reading true and wholesome things. Louise was a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served in many callings through the years. She was blessed to serve as the meeting house librarian of the St. Johns Stake for more than 37 years. While serving the church in this capacity, Louise attended Northland Pioneer College (NPC) and received her AA in Library Science in 1992 and was a member of the honor society, Phi Theta Kappa. When the Snowflake Temple opened, Louise and Terry were able to partake in the richest of blessings, as they were temple workers for over 10 years. They loved that sacred work and strived daily to live Christlike lives. Many have been blessed for their selfless acts of love and kindness. She was proud of her pioneer heritage and was very interested with the History of The Church. One of the cherished highlights of her life was that of a trip she was able to take back to Nauvoo, Illinois and Independence, Missouri. There, she was ever amazed at the strength and courage of the early saints of The Church and appreciated, even more, the sacrifices they made to travel and pioneer the hundreds of towns and cities, "far away, in the west." This special trip inspired her to research the history within her own family's heritage. She was a family research enthusiast and has literally researched, and found, thousands of records of her ancestors. Their's was a heritage, rich with love for one another and an unmatched work ethic. Louise's family meant everything to her. She lived her life in their service and she has left a wonderful legacy and example for them to follow. She adored her husband of 52 years and would do anything for her children and, ever the doting grandma, she got a thrill out of spoiling her grandkids. Louise loved to spend time with her family at the beach where she found a great sense of peace along the ocean's edge. Throughout her life, Louise was blessed to be able to spend time at the Whiting Homestead in the heart of The White Mountains. There, she enjoyed camping and gathering with her family. Louise loved to spend her spare time gardening and growing her own fruits and vegetables. She canned what she grew and shared her bounty with many of her family, friends and neighbors. She was also a gifted seamstress and sewed and mended hundreds, if not thousands, of pieces of clothing throughout her life. Also, anyone visiting the Maher home never left with an empty stomach, as she was such a wonderful cook. Ever the loving homemaker, Louise thoroughly enjoyed cooking for others, because she knew the kitchen was the heart of the home. She is survived by her husband of 52 years, Terry Gene Maher, Sr. of St. Johns, Arizona; 4 children: Terry Gene, Jr. (Danyl) Maher of St. Johns, Arizona, LynnDee Ivytte (Walter Ray) McLaws of Holbrook, Arizona, James Thomas "JT" (Tara) Maher of Duncan, Arizona, WendiAyn Allyson (Tanner) Lathe of Mesa, Arizona; brother, Kenneth Edgar (Ella Louise) Wills of Avondale, Arizona; sister-in-law, Marsha Waters of Mesa, Arizona; 6 grandchildren: Thomas McLaws, Zachary McLaws, Wyatt McLaws, Alexander McLaws, Karleigh Maher, Denay Maher and many other extended family members including: cousins, nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. Along with her parents, Louise was preceded in death by a daughter, Amanda Allyen Maher; 3 siblings: Wendell Waters, Kay Allyen Waters, Harvey Dee Waters; grandparents: Lynn S. & Gladys Whiting, Thomas & Mary Waters and by a granddaughter, Elizabeth Ivy McLaws. The funeral service for Louise will begin 10:00 A.M., Monday, July 7, 2014 at St. Johns' Downtown Chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where the visitation will begin 1 hour prior. The concluding service and interment will immediately follow at the St. Johns Cemetery.