Joseph E. Coberly Jr.

COBERLY Jr., JOSEPH E. Joseph E. Coberly Jr. of Rancho Santa Fe, California, died peacefully on November 5, 2006. He was 89 years old. Joseph Coberly was born in Los Angeles, California on November 4, 1917, the son of the late Violet Malden Coberly and Joseph Edward Coberly. He was also predeceased by a brother, Thomas Malden Coberly. Mr. Coberly graduated in 1940 from Stanford University where he was a member of the Zeta Psi fraternity. During World War II, he served as a pilot in the Navy. After the war, he went to work with his father in the family automobile business, Coberly Ford, which was located in downtown Los Angeles. In 1950 he married Jeanne Cox and soon after started a family. After his father passed away in 1959, Mr. Coberly became the President of Coberly Ford and was instrumental in making it the largest Ford dealership in Southern California. Longing for the country life with less smog and congestion, Mr. Coberly moved with his family to Rancho Santa Fe in 1964. In 1988, he retired from the automobile business in order to pursue other interests and activities. He was an active member of the Rancho Santa Fe community, and in the past served as a member of the Board of Directors of the RSF Association, as well as a member of the RSF Art Jury. Several years ago, he was appointed to be a member of the newly formed Rancho Santa Fe Historical Society. Mr. Coberly was also a president of the Rancho Riding Club, a president of the Garden Club, a member of the Public Interest Committee and a founding partner and member of the Rancho Santa Fe Farms Golf Club. He was a lifelong member of the California Club in Los Angeles, and longtime member of the Pacific Union Club in San Francisco. Mr. Coberly was extremely involved in the political arena, specifically as a staunch supporter of the Libertarian party, the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE), the Cato Institute, and the Reason Foundation. Throughout his life, Mr. Coberly was an avid sailor and yachtsman who loved the ocean and the beach. However, his greatest passion was spending time at his Rancho Santa Fe home "La Osita", where he roamed his property with one of the many dogs that he raised over the years. It was there he exercised his creative spirit in the many brick and rock pathways and walls he designed and built, the numerous landscaping projects, and the planting of hundreds of trees of every variety. He was a true artist in this regard. Mr. Coberly is survived by his wife of 56 years, Jeanne C. Coberly, his four daughters and a son-in-law, Candace M. Coberly of Westport, CT, Micaela A. Coberly of Kapaa, HI, Karen R. Coberly of Santa Barbara, CA, Courtney J. Coberly and her husband, William F. Buffett of Del Mar, CA, a niece Melinda Clune Coberly, and seven grandchildren, Richard, Christina, Tyler, Noelle, Camille, Mariel, and Miles. Joseph Coberly will be remembered for his infectious smile, his rebel spirit, his sense of humor, his love of people and his passion for excellence. He will be greatly missed by his family, his friends, and his beloved dog, Babe Funeral arrangements were private. A memorial service in celebration of his life will be held at a future date.Please sign the guest book at obituaries.uniontrib.com