JOSEPH R. "RED" STABLES

STABLES, JOSEPH R. "RED" Joe Stables, a longtime San Diego County resident, left to "go fishing with his cousin, Jerry", on Thursday, August 11, 2011. He was born in Bisbee, Az. in 1925, and was attending Hoover High School in San Diego, when on December 7, 1941 the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Like many others he left school to join the Navy (he was not yet 18) and was assigned too, and proudly served the entire war on the heavy cruiser Portland, CA 33 "Sweet Pea". The ship earned the Navy Citation and 16 battle stars participating in most of the major naval battles and marine landings in the Pacific Theater. While waiting rotation home for discharge after the war, Joe was assigned to Shore Patrol Duty (Navy M.P.'s) in Honolulu, Hawaii. He liked the work, and after his Navy discharge in San Diego, applied to several police agencies and chose the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. Starting as a Deputy in January, 1950, he rose to Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, and finished his career as an Inspector, (now called Commander) and served under County Sheriff's Strand, O'Connor and Duffy. For a time in the 1950s, Joe was the entire Crime Lab, the C.S.I. of his time. He worked most of the divisions in the department, including Jail Commander, and Commander of the North County Substation in Vista. He was the first member of the department to be invited to attend F.B.I National Academy in Washington, D.C. He was the Department's first Personnel Officer and he was often asked to speak for the Department to Civic groups and Service Clubs. He was a life member of the V.F.W. and was a member of, and past president of the Exchange Club of Vista. While working and after his retirement in 1976, he served on many boards and commissions, including the County Civil Service Commission, the County Retirement Board and was a founding member of the County Human Relations Commission. He became active in helping organize reunions of his World War II shipmates from the Portland and collected their stories into two limited edition books, "We Remember" and "We Remember II" about their shared experiences. He had long and happy marriages to Imogene Arnold Stables who predeceased him in 1967, and Mary M. Stables, who passed in 2005. He is survived by children, John, Helen, Darrell, and Patricia; grandchildren, Joseph, Therese, Nicole, and Mark; and great-grandchildren Zoe, Lilith, and Tehyah. He has a large and extended family, and many friends who love and honor him. Services will be held at All Saints Episcopal Church, 6th and Pennsylvania SD, 92103 at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 24, 2011 and Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery at 2:00 p.m., on Thursday, August 25, 2011. The family wishes to especially thank and suggest donations in his name to San Diego Hospice.