Date of death: 12/21/2012
Saint Meinrad Class: O 1954
Jerry Maag, 84, a Northland resident of Kansas City, MO, passed away at his home on Friday, December 21, 2012, surrounded by his loving family.Jerry was born June 8, 1928, in Richmond, IN, to Bernard Joseph and Leona (Kelagher) Maag. He attended high school at Saint Meinrad Seminary in Indiana and continued his education at Donnelly College in Kansas City, KS. During the Korean War he served in Korea in the 24th Infantry Division of the US Army.On November 29, 1952, he married Mary M. Hoffman in Leavenworth, KS. For 54 years, the couple has resided in the Northland, where they have been members of St. Therese Parish. For many years, Jerry took an active part in the liturgy at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, serving as a lector, cantor, and as an extraordinary minister.During his career as an industrial photographer, Jerry’s professional accomplishments earned him wide recognition among his peers. He worked for Hallmark Cards for 13 years, focusing on artistic presentations of numerous subjects. He then spent 24 years with TWA, where he was a photographer in flight training and later worked as a videographer.One project in which Jerry took particular pride in was TWA’s Alpha Project. An old mail plane (the Alpha) had been recovered and restored by TWA personnel. As the official photographer for the project, Jerry documented its reconstruction. Today, the Alpha can be found hanging in the Smithsonian Museum of Air and Space in Washington, D.C.After retirement from TWA, Jerry enjoyed a third career as an actor and model, appearing in nationwide advertising campaigns in both print and video. He also appeared as an extra in several locally-produced films, including Truman,” which starred Gary Sinese.As a family man, he loved spending time traveling and camping with his wife and children. He enjoyed classical music and often engaged in happy discussions about the music that always accompanied family dinners. He was an avid reader and also kept busy working crossword puzzles. Jerry enjoyed the challenge of redesigning and remodeling his home. He loved nature, birds and squirrels in particular, and took great pleasure in photographing them. He took special interest in capturing the delicate colors of the flowers that Mary raised in their garden.In addition to his wife Mary, he is survived by three children, Kathleen Cruden of Belton, MO; Chris Maag and wife Teresa of Kansas City North; M. Celeste Kuechler-Oster and Oster of Overland Park, KS; 10 grandchildren: Michael, Rebecca, Gina, Abigail, Allyssa, Elliott, Joseph, Brianna, Natalie, and Hannah and five great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; a son, Jerome B. Maag, Jr.; and two brothers, a sister, and two half siblings.The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m., Wednesday, December 26, 2012, at St. Therese Catholic Church with Rev. Joe Cisetti as celebrant. The family will begin receiving friends at 10 a.m. and the rosary will be prayed at 10:40 a.m. Memorial contributions are suggested to St. Bonaventure Indian Mission in New Mexico. The Meyers Northland Chapel in Parkville, MO, has been entrusted with the final arrangements.”