-
About
Fidelity & ExcellenceThomas Aquinas College is unique among American colleges and universities, offering a faithfully Catholic education comprised entirely of the Great Books and classroom discussions.
-
A Liberating Education
Truth MattersTruth, and nothing less, sets men free; and because truth is both natural and supernatural, the College’s curriculum aims at both natural and divine wisdom.
-
A Catholic Life
Under the Light of FaithThe intellectual tradition and moral teachings of the Catholic Church infuse the whole life of Thomas Aquinas College, illuminating the curriculum and the community alike.
-
Admission & Aid
Is TAC Right for You?Do you enjoy grappling with complex questions? Are you willing to engage in discussions about difficult concepts, with the truth as your ultimate goal?
-
Students & Parents
Mind, Body & SpiritThere is always something to do at TAC — something worthwhile, something fulfilling, and something geared toward ever-greater spiritual and intellectual growth.
-
Alumni & Careers
What Can You Do with a Liberal Education?Nothing speaks more to the versatility of the College’s academic program than the good that our alumni are doing throughout the Church and the world.
Obituary & Funeral Information for Joe Weinkopf (’28)
Viewing, Rosary & Funeral Information
In Memoriam: Joseph Malcolm Weinkopf, 2006 – 2026
by Mary Kate and Chris Weinkopf
Early on the morning of Friday, January 16, the Lord called home our beloved son Joseph Malcolm Weinkopf, a member of the Thomas Aquinas College Class of 2028.
A lifelong resident of Santa Paula, Joe was our third child, born on October 8, 2006. From an early age, he showed a great love for the passions that would define his life: music, sports, and friendships. He sang joyfully and often. He delighted in playing or watching any game, be it football, ultimate frisbee, wiffleball, or even Bananagrams. And, blessed with a knack for listening and understanding others, he forged deep friendships, most notably with his older sister and brother.
By the time Joe was 11, our family would welcome four more children into our home, and he was immediately beloved by them all. He was endlessly inventive in devising games to play with his younger siblings, and they cheered him on as he worked his way up the ranks in Santa Paula Little League, AYSO Soccer, and, in high school, Heritage Valley Blazers Track and St. Augustine Crusaders Baseball. At the same time, he sang with the local homeschool choir, learned the guitar, and performed in two productions of the Santa Paula Junior Musical Theatre Company, starring as Harold Hill in the 2024 performance of The Music Man.
Joe was blessed by the example and guidance of so many teachers and coaches, and he yearned to follow in their footsteps. Every year, starting when he was 13 until his graduation from high school, he helped coach one of his younger siblings’ soccer teams, and he reunited with a favorite Little League coach as an assistant manager. In the summer, he and his friends organized sports camps for local kids, and he worked as a camp counselor, swimming instructor, and lifeguard for the YMCA and City of Ventura. At our family parish, St. Sebastian Church, Joe taught dozens of younger boys how to serve Mass at the altar.
In the fall of 2024, Joe enrolled at Thomas Aquinas College, and we gratefully watched as he matured in every possible way: Physically, he sprouted up to 6’1” while growing in strength at the gym and on the athletic field. Socially, he developed an ever wider and closer group of dear friends. Intellectually, he threw himself into his study of the Great Books, treasuring profound conversations with his classmates and relishing all his classes, especially theology.
Yet to our joy, it was spiritually that Joe grew the most while at the College, with daily Mass and nightly visits to the dorm chapel. This winter, he took up the Exodus 90 spiritual exercise and found himself drawn closer to God through the increased devotions and asceticism. On the last night of his earthly life, he joined his friends in chalking Epiphany blessings above every door in their residence hall, ebulliently singing Christmas carols along the way. Later, after completing a work-study shift at the campus coffee shop, he came to the Chapel, where he adored Our Eucharistic Lord until curfew.
We were devastated to learn of Joe’s death the next morning from an epileptic seizure. Joe had always borne his condition graciously, calling it his “cross to bear” and accepting the treatments and limitations it imposed, while determined not to let them impede a life lived to the fullest. He went to bed each night knowing there was a chance, even if only small, that he would not rise the next morning.
Perhaps that’s why — inspired by his reading of St. Augustine’s reflections on death and salvation in Sophomore Theology — he worked so hard to foster the spirit of surrender that would prepare him to meet His Lord.
We are forever thankful for this preparation. We owe a debt of gratitude to the teachers and classmates who nurtured and encouraged him along the way. And we can never begin to repay the friends, prefects, and paramedics who were with him in his final hours.
Please keep them, our family, and most of all Joe in your prayers. And, in lieu of flowers, we ask that any donations be made to Thomas Aquinas College.
Viewing, Rosary & Funeral Information
Viewing
Thursday, January 22, 6:30 – 11:00 p.m. (with Rosaries at 7:30 and 9:15)
Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel
Thomas Aquinas College*
Santa Paula, California
Memorial Mass
Friday, January 23, 9:30 a.m.
Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel
Thomas Aquinas College*
Santa Paula, California
Luncheon to follow in St. Joseph Commons
Interment
Friday, January 23, 1:00 p.m.
Pierce Brothers Santa Paula Cemetery
Santa Paula, California
* Note: Due to construction on Highway 150 south of campus, allow an extra 10 minutes’ driving time.