TIMOTHY FLAHERTY

Dr. Timothy T. Flaherty

On February 17, 2025, Timothy T. Flaherty passed away peacefully surrounded by Joan, his “Bride” of 68 years, and his four children.  Tim loved hats, in addition to loving hats, he “wore” many different ones throughout his life.  He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather.  Furthermore, he was a dedicated physician, a Major General in the U.S. Air Force, and an entrepreneurial businessperson.  

             Tim was born October 6, 1933, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.  He graduated from high school in Brandon, about 20 miles west of Fond du Lac.  In his youth, Tim worked at a local IGA grocery store and at the Stokely Van Camp cannery where he was trained as a closing machine mechanic.  He was so good at his job, that in addition to servicing the closing machines at the local Brandon factory, he was often sent to factories in Plymouth and Appleton to service their machines.  Moving further south, college and medical school were completed in Milwaukee at Marquette University.  Tim earned his Doctor of Medicine degree in June 1959 and proceeded to complete his Internship at St. Mary's Hospital in Milwaukee.

            Following his Internship, Tim became Captain Flaherty and served on active duty for three years as a Flight Surgeon with the United States Air Force in Amarillo, Texas.  After active duty, he moved on to the Wisconsin Air National Guard where he served for an additional 28 years.  Upon retirement, after 31 years of military service, Tim had advanced to the rank of Major General (two star) and served as the Deputy Surgeon General for Air National Guard Affairs, United States Air Force.  He was inducted into the Wisconsin Air National Guard Hall of Fame in 1997.  In addition, during his Guard service, he received the Distinguished Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the Air Force Commendation Medal.  On November 10, 2019, Tim was honored during half time of a Green Bay Packers game for his many years of service to our country.

            After Tim's three years of active duty, he completed his radiology residency at the University of Wisconsin Madison, during which he was elected Chief Resident.  Tim stayed on at the University of Wisconsin for a year as an instructor and then an additional year as an Assistant Clinical Professor before moving on to practice radiology at Theda Clark Hospital (now Theda Care) in Neenah, Mercy Hospital in Oshkosh, and other locations served by Radiology Associates of the Fox Valley.  In 1985, due to his continued service and dedication to teaching, Tim was promoted to Clinical Professor at UW-Madison.  In 1986, he was promoted to Clinical Professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

            When not spending time in his medical practice, or with the Air National Guard, Tim was involved with many professional organizations.  He was Founding Director and Chairman of the National Patient Safety Foundation.  Additional highlights of Tim's career include: The Joint Commission (formerly Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations) where Tim served as a member of the Executive Committee and Member of the Board; the American Medical Association where Tim served on the Executive Committee, as a Trustee, and as Chairman of the AMA Board; and the Wisconsin Medical Society where he served numerous positions, including President.  Additionally, Tim served locally and nationally with numerous foundations, non-profits, and associations.  He served as Board Chair of the Physician's Insurance Company of Wisconsin (PIC Wisconsin), Trustee of the Medical College of Wisconsin, Board Chair of Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corp. (WPS), and Goodwill Industries of North Central Wisconsin.  Given his contributions to the Radiology profession, the Wisconsin Radiological Society named its lifetime achievement award the “Flaherty Lifetime Achievement Award” and made him the inaugural recipient of the award in 2009.

            Tim enjoyed spending time at his Bass Lake cottage, which served as a gathering place for the three generations of his family.  He enjoyed all types of sports, in particular tennis and golf.  He was a member of North Shore Golf Club and Bass Lake Golf Club.  His golf endeavors included a “hole in one” while golfing in California.  He took great pride in his Irish heritage and loved Irish music and culture.  Tim traveled the world with Joan, the love of his life, making friends easily and maintaining friendships over many decades, and across great distances.  Ultimately, family mattered most to Tim.   He made great efforts to attend his grandchildren's school and extracurricular events including religious sacraments, Eagle Scout ceremonies, concerts, plays, sports, and both high school and college graduations.

            Tim is preceded in death by his parents, Leo and Mary (O'Brien) Flaherty, his brothers-in-law, Larry (Barb) Richardson, Jack Richardson and Hutch Richardson, his sister-in-law, Kathy Richardson, nephew Sean Maher, and nieces Mary (Richardson) Warnke and Bridget (Maher) Lee.  

 Tim literally fell in love, and ultimately married, “the girl next door” after his parents bought a cottage next door to Joan's parents at Green Lake.  He is survived by Joan, his wife of 68 years, his four children and fourteen grandchildren, Kevin (Anne, Mary Kate, Patrick, Timothy, and John), Catherine (Jim, Killian (Emily), Callaghan and Macartan), Daniel (Beth, Joseph, Grace, Bridget and Curren) and Monica (Eric, Brennan, Luke, and Clara), his sister, Alice (Flaherty) Maher, and many nieces and nephews, all of whom he cherished.  

There will be a visitation at the Neenah's Westgor Funeral Home on Friday, March 7, 2025, from 5-7pm, with a prayer service at 6:30pm. Visitation will continue Saturday, March 8, 2025, from 9-10:30am at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church, 620 Division St., Neenah, followed by family memories at 10:30am and a funeral mass at 11:00am.  In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Brandon Public Library (117 East Main Street Brandon, WI 53919) (www.brandonlibrary.net) or a charity of your choice.

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face;

the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,

may God hold you in the palm of His hand.