Funeral for slain UA Prof. Meixner set for Friday

Posted Oct 10, 2022, 4:21 pm

Dylan Smith
TucsonSentinel.com

UA College of Science
Paul Ingram/TucsonSentinel.com

A funeral for University of Arizona Prof. Thomas Meixner will be held on Friday morning. The head of the Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences Department was shot and killed on campus last week by a former student, police said.

Meixner, 52, was noted for his work on the water quality of desert rivers and research on hydrology in arid areas. He was killed last Wednesday in the Harshbarger Building on the UA campus.

The funeral will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 14, at St. Cyril of Alexandria Roman Catholic Parish, 4725 E. Pima St.

Visitation will be on Thursday evening at the church, starting at 5 p.m. A rosary will be held at 6 p.m., with remembrances from 6:30-8 p.m.

Meixner will be interned at Holy Hope Cemetery, with a reception to follow at the church.

The alleged gunman faces a first-degree murder charge, and a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Meixner was "passionate about Hydrology, and one of the last acts he performed on this earth was to teach a class," his family said in a statement about their "crushing loss."

"Thomas Meixner was an incredible son, brother, husband, father, uncle, colleague and friend," the Meixner family said. "He loved his family, friends, coworkers, the University of Arizona and the greater Tucson community. He always focused on helping others in all he did. The loss of Tom has left a giant emptiness in our hearts."

Meixner is survived by his wife Kathleen Cotter Meixner and sons Sean and Brendan.