Joseph Michael Meier

Joseph Michael Meier

June 5, 1959 – November 22, 2023, Boise Idaho
Joseph Meier passed away on November 22, 2023, in Boise. He was born in Baltimore to Joseph Henry and Ellen Patricia Meier. He grew up in Maryland and Connecticut, along with his much-loved sisters and brother, Mary Pat, Tim, and Kathy. When his family moved to Oregon, Joe decided to attend the University of Oregon, graduating in 1981 with a B.A. in history and economics. There he became a member and captain of the Rowing team and a life-long Ducks fan. He next attended and graduated from Willamette University School of Law, Salem Oregon. During his time there he was a member of the Willamette Law Review. It was while he was at law school that he met Brenda. They were married one day before their law school graduation. After graduation in 1984, a job opportunity brought Joe and Brenda to Boise. Joe practiced law with Cosho Humphrey, LLP law firm for over 30 years, specializing in bankruptcy, commercial and business law. It was there that he made life-long friendships. In 2005, he was named a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy. Joe was a Ninth Circuit lawyer representative for the District of Idaho and completed an additional 3-year term as the chairperson of the Lawyer Representatives Coordinating Committee for the Ninth Circuit. He was appointed to the federal bench in 2018 as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the District of Idaho and became the Chief Bankruptcy Judge in 2019. He was a natural public speaker and often choose to be a part of continuing education classes and conferences. Together with several bankruptcy judges he taught bankruptcy classes for several years at the Idaho College of Law. Joe was well respected and liked by both the bench and the bar.

Joe and Brenda had a wonderful life together and raised three children he loved fiercely, Katie, Carly, and Ryan. His previous hobbies gave way once the children were born, and he devoted himself to his family. He was an amazing father. There were many road trips with the family of five spending hours together. He had a life-long interest and love of history, particularly American history. With his sharp intelligence and humor, conversations with him were always entertaining and fun. If you were talking with Joe, it wasn’t long before you were sharing a laugh with him. He had a memory for dates, details, and events, he would say it was all trivia, but it made him an interesting man. Joe had a kind and humble manner and an inherent good nature. He carried his own dignity with grace. A dignity that remained with him despite his determined fight with cancer. His family is extraordinarily grateful to have had him in their lives.

Joe was diagnosed with bile duct cancer in September of this year. During his fight with this disease, he showed his stoicism, strength, and optimism.

Special thanks go to many, including those colleagues, family and friends who created a stream of visitors while he was in the hospital, his neighbors and friends who helped in every way, the nurses, and CNAs on 4 South and the MICU of St. Luke’s Hospital and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

He is preceded in death by his father, Joe. He is survived by his wife Brenda and three children, Katie, Carly, Ryan, and his wife, Megann, of Boise. He is also survived by his beloved mother, Pat, siblings, Mary Pat (Robert), Tim (Gayle), Kathy (David), aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews.

A funeral Mass is scheduled at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, 807 N. 8th Street, Boise, on Monday, December 4, 2023, at 11:00 am. Donations may be made to the Idaho Volunteer Lawyers Program, 525 W. Jefferson Street, Boise, ID 83702.