Thomas A. Werner, 80, Dies; Staples Class of 1956, “He was a very honest man.”"
Obituary Report by Frederick Rasmussen, Baltimore SunThomas A. Werner, a retired insurance executive who was active in several German-American cultural and social organizations, died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Aug. 22 at his home in the Riderwood Thornleigh neighborhood. He was 80.
Shelley Arnold had known Mr. Werner since her days in the insurance business.
“Tom was just a good all-around guy and a great person,” said Ms. Arnold, who edits the German Society of Maryland Inc. newsletter. “He had a matter-of-fact manner and you always knew where you stood with him. He answered questions with one-sentence answers and that’s the way it was. He was a very honest man.”
Bernard A. Penner was both a friend of Mr. Werner’s and active in the same German societies.
“He was a very steady guy in the German community. When he said he’d show up, he showed up, and he handled his various offices with competence and detail,” recalled Mr. Penner.
Thomas Alfred Werner, son of Alfred J. Werner, an insurance executive, and his then-wife, Mercedes Will, a homemaker, was born in Baltimore and at an early age moved to Westport, Connecticut, with his mother, who had married William A. Ketchum.
After graduating in 1959 from Staples High School in Westport, he attended the University of Maryland briefly, before enlisting in 1960 in the Air Force where he was trained in repairing fighter jet electronics at Paine Air Force Base in Everett, Washington.
“A veteran of the Cuban missile crisis, he had vivid memories of loading nuclear weapons onto the planes knowing the world was on the brink of disaster,” according to a biographical profile submitted by his family.
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Discharged from the Air Force in 1964, Mr. Werner returned to Baltimore and became a trained underwriter for the Insurance Company of North America, while attending evening classes at the University of Maryland on the G.I. Bill.
After working as an underwriter for five years, he joined his father’s independent agency, the Werner Insurance Agency, and after it was sold, he established his own agency in Towson in 1984, Werner Agency Ltd., of which he was president. It specialized in high-risk insurance that resulted in forming a professional relationship with underwriters at Lloyd’s of London.
Mr. Werner retired in 2006.
He was a lifelong lover of the outdoors and physical activity, and as a Boy Scout in Connecticut, he earned the Order of the Arrow, which is granted only after a scout passes what’s known as “The Ordeal,” where he was involved in near-solo camping, given only minimal food and was required to maintain silence for three days while performing camp service projects.
The result of this experience developed into a lifelong interest in Native American history and folklore.
As an adult, he hiked sections of the Appalachian Trail in seven states, logging 300 miles that included the Smokies in North Carolina and New Hampshire’s White Mountains, with Mount Madison as one of his fondest hiking memories.
Family members said he passed along his love of hiking, camping, canoeing and skiing to his three children, and when his son joined Boy Scout Troop 341 in Towson, it renewed his interest in scouting. He served on the troop committee as treasurer and assisted in troop activities and outings.
A life-changing event occurred in 1988 when Mr. Werner traveled to Augsburg, Germany, to meet his first grandchild and ski the Swiss and Austrian Alps. Unable to speak German and relying on his son, he was determined to learn the language.
Later that year, he took German language classes at the Baltimore Kickers, a soccer club that was founded in 1953, and in addition to soccer, also promotes German culture and language.
“He learned a smattering of German, an appreciation of German beer and the meaning of gemutlichkeit,” according to the biographical profile, referring to the German word for friendliness.
Being a Kicker member led Mr. Werner to travel to Germany with the team, and he worked at the Kickers’ bratwurst and beer stand at the Maryland German Festival, where he was in charge of handling the money.
His expanded role including serving on the organization’s ’ board, mainly in a financial capacity, and for his work, he was made an honorary lifetime member of the Baltimore Kickers.
From 2006 to 2010, he served as president of the Deutschamerikanischer Burgereverein von Maryland Inc., which is the umbrella organization for area German clubs and sponsor of the annual Maryland German Festival that for years was held at Carroll Park in Southwest Baltimore.
In his first year as president, Mr. Werner moved the festival from its former home to the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, which offered a larger venue and more convenient parking, and during his tenure as president had been responsible for overseeing four festivals.
After leaving office, he continued to serve as vice president, treasurer and director, and was still holding Zoom meetings this spring and summer for the festival that was held in early July.
Mr. Werner had also held two terms as president of Club Fidelitas Inc., a Baltimore German cultural organization, and the German Society of Maryland Inc., which honored him in 2018 with their Distinguished Service Award. He was also a member of the Edelweiss Club and the society of the History of Germans in Maryland.
“Tom certainly left his footprint in the German community,” Ms. Arnold said.
Dottie Kirchner, former president of the Deutschamerikanischer Burgereverein, knew and worked with Mr. Werner for more than 35 years.
“Tom never shirked from anything they asked him to do. When we moved from Carroll Park to Timonium, he handled all the contracts and made sure everything was set up the right way,. He was a no-nonsense person when it came to doing that. It was a big miss when he decided to retire for health reasons. He could no longer be outside in the heat and we said, ‘Sit inside and we’ll bring you our questions and problems’. He was always a soothing source.”
“Once he got his brain around a concept that he thought was important, he stuck with it. He fit right into that milieu,” Mr. Penner said. “Another side to Tom was his interest in medieval German history. He was a constant in the German community and he’s going to be missed.”
Because of his work, Mr. Werner was invited to attend German Embassy functions in Washington, D.C., including being present to hear German Chancellor Angela Merkel speak on the South Lawn of the White House in 2011. When Gov. Martin O’Malley signed the bill in 2013 making October German American Heritage Month in Maryland, Mr. Werner was in attendance.
“Our dad was cremated and we’re going to spread his ashes on the Appalachian Trail,” said a daughter, Jamie Walter of Easton.
Plans for a celebration-of-life gathering are incomplete.
In addition to his daughter, Mr. Werner is survived by his life partner of 38 years, Kay Schneck of Thornleigh; a son, Alfred Thomas Werner of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; another daughter, Wendi Alexi Werner of Everett, Washington; two sisters, Joan Clark of Timonium and Beverly Ketchum of Florida; and five grandchildren. A marriage to the former Lynn Sibley ended in divorce.
Back to Work CT: State Sends $1,000 Checks to Eligible Residents with New Jobs after Longterm Unemployment
Governor’s Office
Governor Ned Lamont today announced that the first round of the $1,000 bonus payments authorized through the Back to Work CT program are being mailed this week to more than 1,500 eligible applicants who are among the initial group of workers participating in the program.
Established by Governor Lamont in May, the Back to Work CT program is designed to provide an additional bonus payment to long-term unemployed workers who live in Connecticut, are transitioning back to the workforce, and have obtained new jobs. It is supported by Connecticut’s Coronavirus Relief Fund, which utilizes federal funding obtained through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES ACT).
Approximately $10 million has been allocated for the program, which will provide bonus payments for up to 10,000 eligible applicants. It is administered by the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services in conjunction with the Connecticut Department of Labor and runs through December 31, 2021.
“Many workers who were displaced during the early months in the pandemic and faced long-term unemployment are now transitioning back into the workforce and starting to rebuild,” Governor Lamont said. “This one-time bonus payment will help some of those workers pay for the critical things they need to get back to work, including childcare. This is the latest tool in our toolbox to maximize our state’s recovery from the pandemic.”
“Governor Lamont’s relentless focus on health, safety, and economic recovery has made Connecticut a national leader in our response to COVID-19, and the Back to Work CT program represents another timely investment in our people,” Connecticut Department of Revenue Services Commissioner Mark D. Boughton said. “I want to recognize colleagues at DRS for quickly standing up the Back to Work CT program, and thank the Connecticut Department of Labor for their ongoing partnership. The DRS is proud to contribute to this effort that directs additional support to those helping to sustain Connecticut’s comeback.”
“This is a job seeker’s market. It’s a great time for people to get back into the workforce and take advantage of opportunities to improve salary and benefits, or even start a new career,” Connecticut Department of Labor Interim Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo said. “Women were hit particularly hard by the pandemic recession in terms of lost jobs and lost income. At the same time, women remain primary caretakers for their families, making it difficult for them to re-enter the workforce early due to childcare and other responsibilities, which leads to additional lost income. The governor’s Back to Work CT incentive is a great added bonus for people who really need that financial help during the back-to-work transition. Thank you to Governor Lamont, Commissioner Boughton, and the DRS team for their partnership on such an important program.”
To be eligible for a Back to Work CT incentive payment, a person must:
Have filed an unemployment compensation weekly claim with the State of Connecticut for the week May 23-29, 2021;
Have filed an unemployment compensation weekly claim with the State of Connecticut for 11 additional weeks between December 27, 2020, and May 22, 2021;
Obtain and maintain a full-time job for eight consecutive weeks between May 30 and December 31, 2021; and
Not file an unemployment compensation weekly claim with the State of Connecticut for any portion of the required eight consecutive weeks of employment.
To claim a $1,000 incentive payment, a person is required to complete and submit the Back to Work CT program application electronically – no paper applications are accepted. The Department of Revenue Services may contact an applicant directly to substantiate his or her employment following completion of the required eight consecutive weeks of employment.
The Back to Work CT application, and additional information about the program, can be found on the Department of Revenue Services website at ct.gov/drs.
West Nile Virus Found in Easton
From Mark Cooper, Director of the Weston Westport Health District that West Nile Virus has now been found in mosquitoes trapped in Easton. The New Haven Agricultural Experiment Station typically finds mosquitoes positive for the West Nile virus around this time each year. With plenty of time before the first frost that ends the mosquito season locally, there is concern that the number of infected mosquitoes will continue to increase, increasing the potential for human exposure. With weather conditions favorable for mosquitoes and with the number of infected mosquitoes likely to be increasing, precautions should be exercised to avoid being bitten by a mosquito. The mosquitoes testing positive were Culex pipiens mosquitoes the predominantly feed on bird hosts, but will given the opportunity, will feed on humans.
No human cases of West Nile Virus have been identified yet in Easton, Weston or Westport at this time. However, continued warm and rainy weather in the forecast, Mr. Cooper stated that “it is recommended to eliminate any standing water around your home and take precautions to prevent mosquito bites”. Mosquitoes are still depositing their eggs in any pool of water they can find and will be eagerly looking for someone's blood to feed on.
The Health District recommends residents take the following precautions:
• Eliminate any object outside that can hold water and become a breeding place for mosquitoes. • Clean house gutters that may be retaining water.
• Empty wading pools and bird baths every few days.
• Chlorinate swimming pools regularly.
• Make sure the covers that are on grills, boats, pools, and other equipment do not collect water. • Also, be sure door and window screens are tight fitting and in good repair to avoid mosquito bites when indoors.
Tips for avoiding mosquito bites when outdoors:
Mosquitoes require a blood meal for reproduction. The following are measures that can help reduce bites from mosquitoes that feed on people:
• Be particularly careful at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
• Wear shoes, socks, long pants, and long-sleeved shirts. Clothing material should be tightly woven. • Use mosquito netting when sleeping outdoors.
• Consider the use of CDC- recommended mosquito repellents, containing DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, IR3535, or 2-undecanone, and apply according to directions, when it is necessary to be outdoors.
• When using DEET, use the lowest concentration effective for the time spent outdoors (for example, 6 percent lasts approximately two hours and 20 percent for four hours) and wash treated skin when returning indoors. Do not apply under clothing, to wounds or irritated skin, the hands of children, or to infants less than two months old.
For more information on West Nile Virus, visit the Health District's Web site at www.wwhd.org and/or the Connecticut Mosquito Management Program Web site at www.ct.gov/mosquito.
Westport COVID-19 Cases Up 7; State Positivity Rate 4.65%, Hospitalizations Down 17
The State of Connecticut reports that Westport’s COVID-19 cases are up 7, with no deaths reported. The State’s daily test positivity rate was up to 4.65%, and hospitalizations were down 17.
Westport total positive or probable cases: 1,943 cases.
Westport total COVID-19 Deaths: 31 deaths.
State Daily Test Positivity: 4.65% [up from 3.10%]
State Hospitalizations: 363 patients [-17]