John Maier III, 84, of Tempe, Ariz.

TEMPE, ARIZ. » John Maier III, a patent attorney and former municipal counsel for the towns of Roxbury and Middletown, N.Y., died Sept. 10, 2017, in Mesa, Ariz. He was 84.

The cause of death was pneumonia following a brief illness, according to his wife, Barbara Maier of Tempe, Ariz. Mr. Maier had retired to Tempe in 2013 after a 40-year law practice in and around the Catskill Mountains of New York. But first he was an engineer and inventor. To the end he was a compassionate, if curmudgeonly, attorney.

Mr. Maier was born Feb. 2, 1933, in Newark, N.J., the son of John and Emily Stein Maier. He graduated from Newark Academy (1950) and Newark College of Engineering (1954), adding a Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering (1957). On his first job with Union Carbide Corp., he helped invent a high-voltage-arc metalworking process. The challenge of promoting and protecting the technology in France and Germany redirected his interest to patent law.

He graduated from Rutgers University with a law degree in 1960, and worked as a patent attorney for Western Electric Co. and Foster Wheeler Inc. until 1972. Then he opened a law office in Fleischmanns, N.Y., raising a family on a small farm on the outskirts of town. (Before moving to Arizona, he also practiced law in Kingston, N.Y.)

In additions to his wife of 21 years, Mr. Maier is survived by a son, David John Maier (Donna) and grandson, Daniel Maier, who made “Poppie” phenomenally proud by studying law in Pittsburgh; a daughter, Christine Walker (William) and granddaughters, Katherine and Sarah, both in college; a sister, Jeanne Tuttle of Toms River, N.J.; and his first wife, Judith Maier, of Willow Street, Pa.

Donations in Mr. Maier’s memory can be made to Reflection Hospice, 1840 East University Drive, Mesa, Ariz. 85203, or to a Hospice of one’s choice. Mr. Maier was a friend of Bill W. since 1972.

Although Mr. Maier was licensed to practice in three states (Florida, New Jersey, and New York) and the District of Columbia, chasing patents from a small town in the mountains was not all-consuming. True, there were occasional trophy technologies and successful products (like the luggage specifically designed by and for the globetrotting businesswoman), but the lawyer handled everything from real estate closings and traffic tickets to not-so-neighborly disputes.

More than once police fetched him from the dinner table, still wearing farm coveralls from his chores with the horses and chickens, to advocate for local youth in Family Court.

Years later and back from college or the military, the former clients hailed the lawyer around town saying, “I just wanted to thank you, Mr. Maier, for helping me out.”