Walter John Maier

Walter J. Maier

June 19, 1935 – October 16, 2024

Walter John Maier was a passionate and opinionated New Yorker to his core. Walter loved nature, hiking, gardening, classical music, the arts, cooking, attending church and spending time with friends and family.

Walter was born in the Yorkville neighborhood of Manhattan to John and Kunigunda (Wohrmann), attended elementary school in the Bronx, lived in Ridgewood, Queens, while graduating from Brooklyn Technical High School and earning a B.S. in chemistry from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn (later to be affiliated with NYU), and ordained in the Lutheran ministry following studies at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. Walter was pastor of congregations of Christ Our Savior (Trenton), St. Matthew (Jersey City), Zion (Rahway) and Christ (Paramus) before retiring from the church to begin a second career as a psychiatric social worker at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital. Walter was a docent at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (from 1997 to 2012), volunteered at the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center (Kutztown, from 2013 to 2022), volunteered at the Sante Fe (NM) Indian Market (for a few weeks annually from roughly 1997 to 2015), and was an active parishioner at St. Luke in the Fields (Manhattan, from 1991 to 2012) and Trinity Lutheran (Reading, from 2012 to 2024).

Walter is survived by his children, Andrew Maier (Lisa), Thomas Maier (Colleen), Elizabeth (Maier) McCurley (Scott), Peter Maier (Kimber); his grandchildren Rebekah (Maier) Brundage (Michael), Aaron Maier, Corinne McCurley, Nicholas Maier, Aiden McCurley, Jessica Maier, River Maier, Eva Maier; and his great-grandchildren Daniel Brundage, Lucas Brundage. He is also survived by his former spouse Kathryn (Flory) Maier.

Walter is predeceased by his parents and grandson, Joshua Maier.

Funeral services will be private.

Donations in honor of Walter may be made to:

Southwestern Association for Indian Arts https://swaia.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/swaia/donation.jsp?test=true&campaign=193&

Saint Luke in the Fields, Episcopal Church

https://my.e360giving.com/App/Form/128c565e-2025-41fc-95dd-bc26b24a8926