Dr. Timothy Bowen Werner, aged 63, passed away peacefully on August 29th, 2025 after a long battle with chronic illness.
He was born on June 10th, 1962 in Norwalk, CT to Bill and Gloria Werner.
Tim was a loving father and was extremely devoted to his three children, Madeleine, Claire and John.
His professional career was dedicated to various environmental causes. He started his work in conservation at the World Wildlife Fund and later worked as a research scientist at Conservation International. In more recent years, he joined the New England Aquarium. At NEAQ, he helped develop alternative fishing techniques to reduce the bycatch of threatened marine species such as the North Atlantic Right Whale and Franciscana Dolphin. Tim’s career was dedicated to advocacy for and protection of the natural world. He served as a Fisheries Scientist on the U.S. NMFS Pelagic Longline Take Reduction Team, a member of the U.S. Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team, and a contributor to the Expert Panel for the International Whaling Commission’s Bycatch Mitigation Initiative. Tim spent many years advancing conservation objectives on land and in ocean environments, particularly in the South Pacific and Latin America.
Throughout his life, Tim was an enthusiastic traveler, having lived and worked in numerous countries and remote islands. He logged hundreds of hours scuba diving in Asia, the South Pacific, and the Atlantic. Tim lived in several different countries throughout his life, including England, Belgium, Portugal and Venezuela. He was multilingual, with the ability to communicate in Portuguese, Spanish, French, Flemish, and Melanesian Pidgin.
An alumni of Boston University, Tim earned an undergraduate degree in history, and later a PhD in Marine Science from BU. He also earned two Masters degrees - the first in Marine Zoology from the University of Maryland and the second in Business Management from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.
Tim passed his love of nature and the great outdoors on to his children, introducing them to hiking, camping, birding, snorkeling and biking. He loved raising his kids in the North Shore of Massachusetts and took full advantage of beaches, trails and biking routes in the area. Some of the happiest moments of Tim’s life were spent outdoors with his family.
As a sports fan, Tim chose the right time to move to Massachusetts (early 2000’s) and was able to witness several parades for his beloved Pats and Red Sox.
Tim is survived by the mother of his children, Colleen, and their children, Madeleine, Claire and John, Tim’s siblings, Kevin (and sister-in-law Tracey), Kristine (and brother-in-law JT) and Stephen, and also his nieces and nephews, Kara, Matthew, Michael, Christopher, Tara, and Tyler.
The Werner family would like to thank Tim’s close friends, especially his college buddies, who supported him throughout his illness. The family would also like to thank the many doctors, nurses, case managers and other staff members at MGH who helped Tim over the past 4 ½ years.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Society for Marine Mammalogy Conservation Fund, an organization whose mission is aligned with Tim’s lifework.
Tim will be deeply missed but will live on forever in our hearts.