Retired Judge Douglas Fettel has died, Presiding Judge R. Glenn Yabuno announced last week.
Fettel joined the state bar in 1976, and joined the Municipal Court, Fontana Division, by appointment from Gov. George Deukmejian, in 1991.
He served a variety of calendars until his retirement in 2006, and then continued to help as an assigned judge after he retired, Yabuno said.
Like his calendar, Fettel tried a variety of careers. He served in the United States Army as an artilleryman, and then Fontana as a police officer from 1959 to 1964, Yabuno said.
He then joined the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control until 1966, and became a security supervisor and labor relations representative at Kaiser Steel Corp. from 1966 to 1977.
He opened a private law practice and handled civil, criminal and family law from 1977 to 1990, Yabuno said.
Fettel worked full time while raising a family and collecting college credits to get a police science degree from Los Angeles State College in 1970, and then a juris doctor degree from the University of La Verne College of Law’s night class in 1975, according to a 2004 article in the San Bernardino County Bar Association’s Bulletin written by Ed Butler, a former branch manager for the Law Library for San Bernardino County.
“(Practicing law) was a vocation that I became very interested in as a result of my law enforcement experience,” Fettel had said in the article.
Fettel was gratified by the opportunity to “do the right thing” to resolve litigation, and found criminal practice attorneys trustworthy, and a pleasure to deal with, Fettel had said.
Fettel replaced Judge Ward Mathews on the bench, who had recommended Fettel as his replacement, Butler had reported.
He said San Bernardino County is “probably one of the best in the state” for judges working with one another.
He is survived by his wife Judith.
