Joseph C. Stemple was chief for 25 years in the township, retiring in 2006
The former police chief in Whitpain Township – who fulfilled his childhood dream of being a detective – has passed away at 86 years old after a battle with pancreatic cancer, according to his family and his online obituary.
Joseph C. Stemple died peacefully Thursday with his family by his side. He was a resident of Collegeville for 21 years and spent most of his life in Blue Bell.
Stemple was the past president of the Montgomery County Police Chief’s Association and the Tri-County Police Chief’s Association, per his obituary.
A funeral mass will be held Thursday, April 11 at noon at St. Eleanor’s RC Church, 647 Locust St., Collegeville. A viewing will be held for relatives and friends Thursday, April 11 from 10 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. at the church.
Stemple, who loved Whitpain Township and the people in the township, will be interred at Limerick Garden of Memories.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in his name to Whitpain Township Police Association, c/o 960 Wentz Road, Blue Bell, Pa 19422.
Born in Norristown on May 22, 1937 to Charles Joseph and Philomena Marie (Vuotto) Stemple, Stemple and his late bride of 65 years, Dolores A. (Cuthbertson) Stemple, had two children, Joseph Jr. and Patti. The former lives with his wife Mary in Lansdale, and the latter resides with husband Jay in Spring City. Stemple also leaves behind a sister, six grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren, according to his obituary.
Leave an online tribute to Stemple and read his obituary here.
It was in a January 2006 interview in “The Ambler Gazette” on Stemple’s retirement from the force after 43 years where he confessed that his dream came true.
“I did what I wanted to do,” he said in the 2006 article. “I wanted to be a detective since I was a little kid.”
Stemple said then that he was coached to become chief of police in 1981 by his colleagues, and then Board of Supervisors Chairman Leigh Narducci. And once he came on board, he changed the department itself. He wrote the township police policies and procedures, according to the article, and overhauled the police headquarters, the weapons, and the philosophy.
“My philosophy has moved over to the rest of the police department: Provide a quality service to people, people will love you, and they will want to call you when they have a problem. Because they know they can count on you,” he said in 2006. “To say, ‘I can call that cop and he’s going to help me,’ that’s the bottom line.”
