Dr. Eric Charles Theiner's Obituary
Eric Charles Theiner, PhD, US Army Col. (ret), known lovingly as “Pop” to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren died after a long struggle with cancer on March 23,2025. He was 89 and passed peacefully at his home in Collierville, TN with Teresa, his loving wife of 32 years.
Eric was predeceased by his first wife, Patricia Ann Dean Theiner, and his parents, Theresa Maria Hahn and Karl Theiner.
Eric was born in New York City on September 27, 1935 to immigrants from Germany and Austria. His mother returned to Germany shortly thereafter along with her new son prior to establishing herself as a new citizen of the United States in Manhattan along with her husband a few years later. This early time in Germany and immigrant upbringing contributed to his lifelong fluency in German.
Eric attended Catholic schools, most notably Cardinal Hayes High School followed by Manhattan College where he earned a Bachelors degree in psychology. He went on to earn first a Masters degree from Syracuse University and then a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Houston. He was proud that he graduated first in his doctoral class. He left academia in the late 60s to pursue a varied career which ranged from industrial applications of clinical psychology to pioneering in the field of biofeedback therapy. His career included serving in the Armed Forces (retiring as a Colonel from the Army Reserve), industrial consulting, and leading therapeutic and evaluation groups in hospital settings. He also taught and mentored numerous students through the University of Tennessee School of Medicine.
Dr. Theiner took his responsibilities to his peers and profession seriously and served on and chaired the Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology for many years and signed the licenses of many of the psychologists practicing in Tennessee. He also served as president of the Tennessee Psychological Association and was the first recognized Emeritus member of that organization. As a member of the Steering Committee of the American Psychology Association he helped to guide policy and positions of that group, although he essentially ended his influence by being one of the few committee members to take a stand against the APA’s endorsement of “enhanced interrogation methods” in the early 2000s, something that he would reflect on with pride.
Eric lost his first wife and mother of his children, Cindy and Rick, in a tragic car accident in 1970. This event devastated him and changed the course of his life in many ways. Being that this was before the current understanding of the repercussions of traumatic brain injury, he was left to deal with the psycho-physical impacts on his own, and did so while also raising his young children. Few recognized the challenges that he met and overcame over the next two decades as he healed.
He married Teresa in 1992 and extended his family to include step-daughters Kristi and Laura by doing so. He loved his extended family dearly and asked that he be remembered as a man whose greatest care and priority was always his family. It is believed that Eric’s true love as a profession was teaching and it was often reflected as he would give members of the family advice and the benefit of his wisdom and experience.
Eric is survived by his wife, Teresa, his children, Cindy Stone (Ted), Eric “Rick” Theiner (Sharon), Kristi Rogers (Mike), and Laura Kane (Steve), grandchildren Taylor Plant (Tommy), Payton Anton, Madison Anton, Charles Theiner, Thomas Theiner, Kaitlin Wininger (Will), Evan Rogers, Brody Kane, Riley Kane and great grandsons Kai and Finn.
Eric is a member of Church of the Incarnation in Collierville where a funeral mass will be held in the St. Therese Chapel on 10am on Friday, March 28th, preceded by a rosary. Internment will immediately follow at Memorial Park Cemetery in East Memphis. A visitation will be held at Memorial Park cemetery on Thursday, March 27th from 5pm – 7pm.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Manhattan College, Cardinal Hayes High School in Manhattan, or the charity of the giver’s choice.
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