Joel Roger Rule

Joel graduated from Trico High School in Campbell Hill, Illinois. After graduating, he joined the Navy and trained at Great Lakes Naval Training Center. From there, he was assigned to Miramar Naval Air Station in San Diego, California. His assignment was on the U.S.S. Brown (DD-546). Joel took great pride in serving our country.

Upon leaving the Navy he went to work for the bank as a messenger. Within a year, he was assigned as an Operations Officer in Pomona, California. He continued to move up the ladder with promotions at the bank holding various positions where he became the Vice President of Human Resources until his retirement in 1994.

Joel loved helping people. His neighborhood in San Diego and where he lived for over 51 years was important to him. After doing his own yard work, he would be seen pulling the weeds in his neighbors’ yards, sweeping the gutters, painting house numbers on the curbs when they were needed, bringing in and out garbage cans, and anything else that he could find to keep his street looking good. He would always sit in his camping chair in the garage and wave to everyone who would walk by, and these strangers became his friends over time. Joel was known as the friendly neighborhood watch guy.

Joel referred to San Diego as “Paradise.” The weather was ideal for his day-to-day activities, and he couldn’t imagine living any place else. Tending to his small, but mighty, garden was something he really enjoyed as well. He had tangerines and lemon trees in his back yard and would grow tomatoes during the spring/summer. His trees produced an abundance of fruit, and he would deliver it to his neighbors and to the firefighters across the street. He would often pull over at the fruit stands on the way home from the casinos, where he would play Blackjack, and get bags of oranges, avocados, and other food and drop them off for them as well.

Joel loved to golf and played several times a week. He would always get up before the sun came out to secure a spot for his group. One of his favorite golf courses was Torrey Pines, not only to play himself (in 2020, he got a Hole-In-One on the south course), but also worked several US Open Tournaments as well.

He is survived by his four children (Rob Cody, Patty Rule Ivankovic, Michael Rule and Barre McKee), a son-in-law, Tony, eight grandchildren (Carly, Kealia, Joelyn, Tahanee, Jacquelyn, Logan, Chris, and Jonathan), three great-grandchildren (Rylee, Austin, and Reese), and his youngest brother, Nelson Douglas Rule of Pinckneyville, Illinois.