Judge Jon Thompson, the longest serving member on the Arizona Court of Appeals Division I, passed away early this morning. He just turned 65 this month.

The news was confirmed by Aaron Nash, a spokesman for the Arizona Supreme Court, but he said no other information – including the cause of death – was made available. 

Thompson was appointed to the position in 1995 by Gov. Fife Symington. 

He is survived by his wife of nearly 44 years, Paulene; their sons, Hans and Paul and their unofficially adopted daughter, Nina Holiday. As well as his mother Beatrice Ann Thompson; brothers Alan and Thomas; and five grandchildren, according to a statement from the Supreme Court.

Thompson was preceded in death by his father, William Alan Thompson and his sister, Ann Thompson Bergner.

Division One Chief Judge Peter Swann shared some words about his former colleague and bandmate. 

“Judge Thompson was not only our most senior judge, he was also one of the longest-serving judges in Arizona at the time of his death, and he had an encyclopedic knowledge of the history of our court,” Swann said. 

“I have counted Jon as a friend since 1995, and his loss will be felt by many for years to come. I know the court will never be quite the same.”

Before serving on the Court of Appeals, Thompson worked as a deputy county attorney in both Yuma and Coconino counties, he was a judge pro tem on the Coconino Superior Court for one year, and worked for the law firm Mangum, Wall, Stoops & Warden in Flagstaff from 1990-95. 

Thompson began his career in Phoenix at a private firm after receiving his undergrad from Northern Arizona University and his Juris Doctor at the University of Colorado, where he graduated in 1979.