Paul Stefani, longtime Sonoma County deputy, commercial fisherman, logger dies

As a deputy sheriff, a commercial fisherman and a logger, Paul Stefani was far more at home than most in the wilds of Sonoma, Mendocino and Humboldt counties.

Stefani harvested North Coast timber as a young man and he fished off the coast before, during and after his career with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office. In the 1960s and ’70s, he was a pioneer in regional law enforcement efforts to curtail the burgeoning trade in outlawed drugs.

A September 1970 Press Democrat story on the rising prevalence in Sonoma County of marijuana, heroin and other illicit substances carried the headline, “Stefani - a Name the Dopers Know.”

The piece delved into the workings and mindset of a narcotics enforcement team headed by the logger-turned-undercover sheriff’s lieutenant.

One paragraph read, “The name Paul Stefani might not mean much to you - unless you’re a user. Then it’s as familiar as (President Richard) Nixon.”

Stefani had been retired from law enforcement for 38 years and from commercial fishing for 32 when he died Monday from complications of cancer. The longtime resident of western Sonoma County was 86.

“I would classify Paul as somewhat of a local law enforcement legend,” said friend and retired sheriff’s lieutenant Rick Oliver.

“He goes all the way back to times that not many of us remember,” Oliver added. “I found him to be a quite unusual man.”

Paul Gene Stefani was born in Willits on Sept. 1, 1933, to Gino and Rita Stefani. He grew up in both Mendocino and Sonoma counties and in the 1950s served a stint with the U.S. Army, winning honors as a member of a pistol accuracy team.

Following his military service he traveled to Alaska to operate a bulldozer at a remote gold claim. He also did logging in Mendocino and Humboldt counties, then he followed the example of his father, who rose to the rank of captain with the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.

Paul Stefani became an officer with the Ukiah Police Department. But he missed logging and returned to the North Coast forests.

He thought he was just taking a short break from logging when he signed on in the fall of 1960 as a deputy with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office. But he liked the work, and stayed on.

He was promoted to sergeant in 1964, and with the rise of drug-related crime was assigned as one of the county’s first narcotics investigators. He was running a four-man enforcement team when late Press Democrat reporter and editor Dick Torkelson connected with him in the fall of 1970.

Torkelson wrote, “Not long ago it was rare when The Press Democrat carried a story of drug arrests. Now they hardly rank as news ... You can sniff pot wherever the young gather, at Juilliard Park, at Howarth, at the drive-ins, at rock concerts. You hear about pills and glue and marijuana in junior highs, even in elementary schools.”

The reporter characterized Paul Stefani as “a tough cop” determined to do what he could to stem the flow of illegal drugs.

“I’ve seen him talk straight, flat-out blunt to a doper,” Torkelson wrote. “But I’ve also seen him slip one a ten-spot to help with the groceries.”

After Stefani retired from the Sheriff’s Office just short of his 50th birthday, he returned to commercial fishing out of Bodega Bay full time with his son, Greg.

The elder Stefani was long divorced when he met Diane Winkelman in a chess club. They married in 1990, settled in Sebastopol and for decades savored travel, fishing, camping and playing cards.

Paul Stefani died in his sleep Monday at the Kaiser Hospital in Santa Rosa.

In addition to his wife in Sebastopol and his son in Point Arena, he is survived by his stepdaughters, Laura Diaz and Amy Head, both of Santa Rosa, and Antonia Bello of Sebastopol, and by numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Stefani’s family suggests memorial contributions to the Sonoma County Deputy Sheriffs Association, 2796 Ventura Ave., Santa Rosa 95403, or to Gold Ridge Fire Association-Random Acts of Kindness, 4500 Hessel Road, Sebastopol 95472.

A celebration of Stefani’s life is planned at 1 p.m. on Jan. 25 at the Saturday Afternoon Club, ?430 Tenth St. in Santa Rosa.

You can reach Chris Smith at 707-521-5211 and chris.smith@pressdemocrat.com.