San Antonio Professor Drowns in Canyon Lake

A man who drowned in Canyon Lake near the 1200 block of Comal Park Road in Canyon Lake on July 17 is being remembered on Facebook as a biology professor at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio who served the university community for more than 20 years in the biology program, as a sponsor of Sigma Zeta Honor Society, and as a faculty athletics representative.

Witnesses said they saw Cary Guffey flip from his float around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. First responders arrived immediately. Comal County Sheriff’s Office and Canyon Lake Fire Department and Emergency Services rescue teams recovered his body at 4 p.m.

Guffey was pronounced deceased at the scene by Justice of the Peace Judge Tom Clark. An autopsy was ordered and next of kin was notified.

An investigation is ongoing.

“The sudden loss of Dr. Cary Guffey leaves a tremendous hole in our community,” OLLU President Diane E. Melby said in a prepared statement. “We ask for prayers for the Guffey family and the entire OLLU family at this time. There has been a tremendous outpouring of love and support since we shared the news of Dr. Guffey’s passing. It is a testament to the type of professor he was and the impact that he had on his students and everyone who knew him. He will be greatly missed.”