Joseph A. Rution

Joe Rution, 74 years old, of Santa Barbara, CA, died from complications of multiple myeloma at Cottage Hospital on January 20, 2018. He was the son of Aldona (Yudiski) and Joseph Jay Rution.

Joe was born in Hartford and lived in Boston before moving to Wethersfield in 1951 following the death of his father. He was a graduate of Wethersfield High School and the University of Connecticut, where he was elected Phi Beta Kappa and a University Scholar. He graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Law at the top of his class and was a member of the Connecticut Bar. After finding a complete set of the California Code discarded on the street in 1993, he studied a few months and passed the California Bar.

Joe started a career in government administration and served in Enfield, CT and Montpelier, VT. He moved with his wife, Jan to Santa Barbara in 1975 where they operated a custom golf club shop for many years. Joe was an outstanding amateur golfer and caddied in many of the early Insurance City Open tournaments. He was active in historic preservation and received numerous awards from the city of Santa Barbara for his tireless efforts in the historic bungalow district.

Joe was predeceased by his beloved wife, Janet. He leaves his sister, Donna Karlson of Naples, FL, and Jan’s sisters Denise Brucker with husband Bob of South Carolina and Michele Blackwelder of Connecticut; niece Nicole Blackwelder; nephews Jeffrey Blackwelder and Andrew Brucker; niece Diana Thornburg; and, nephew Robbie Karlson.

Memorial celebrations will be private. In lieu of gifts/flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation, 123 E. Canon Perdido St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101.