Byron Stommel, former Bonneville County sheriff, passes at age 83
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IDAHO FALLS – Byron Stommel, former sheriff of Bonneville County, passed away on Oct. 20 at age 83.
His cause of death has not been specified. Stommel’s obituary on EastIdahoNews.com indicates he was under the care of his family and Alliance Hospice at the time of death.
Stommel was an officer with the Idaho Falls Police Department for 25 years. He successfully ran for Bonneville County sheriff in 1992. He served in that capacity for nearly four terms, from 1993 to 2007.
Roger Smart, a retired Idaho Falls police officer who worked directly with Stommel over the years, tells EastIdahoNews.com he was shocked to hear of his colleague’s passing.
“I talked with Byron about a year ago at Winco. He seemed to be just fine. His wife, Sylvia, went on and did the shopping while we, as old men, gabbed,” Smart recalls. “When it came out that he had passed away, I was absolutely shocked. It stunned me.”
Smart describes Stommel as a nice, energetic guy who could keep his cool in just about any situation.
“He was very diligent,” Smart says. “When he worked the juvenile cases, he was very good with them. He was good with the juveniles, the parents. He was a real asset to the department.”
Stommel was assigned to work with juveniles in the detective’s division at one point, and Smart was the sergeant in charge.
Smart also notes Stommel’s sense of humor. He recalls a personal experience he had with Stommel on a fishing trip years ago that illustrates what he was like.
“We went up to what was then the diversion dam to the upper power plant for Idaho Falls — that’s the one they had to blow out when the Teton Flood came through,” Smart remembers. “I was catching fish, and he wasn’t.”
Smart says he dropped his line in first thing and caught a huge fish. Stommel netted it for him.
“He was always saying, ‘The only reason I take people fishing with me is to net my fish!'” Smart recalls, laughing. “He didn’t get upset because he wasn’t catching anything, but he made a joke out of it. That was his sense of humor.”
Stommel’s early life and career
Stommel was born on Jan. 9, 1942, in Salt Lake City to Robert and Mildred Stommel. He was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
He grew up and attended schools in Boise, Mountain Home and Idaho Falls, according to his obituary, and graduated from Idaho Falls High School.
After a brief stint in the military, he attended Idaho State University Police Academy and Pasadena City College in California.
His first marriage to Wanda Hendricks in 1965 ended in divorce. He married Sylvia Gale Bromley of Rigby in 1976. Stommel had five children — three daughters and two sons.
EastIdahoNews.com has reached out to members of his family for this article but has not heard back.
Stommel enjoyed rock collecting, collecting pens, hunting, fishing, antique cars, gun collecting and tinkering on anything with a motor, according to his obituary. He is also remembered for having “the gift of gab.” He reportedly could talk to anyone, and he loved helping people.
Spending time with family was his favorite activity.
It’s not clear what prompted Stommel to pursue a law enforcement career.
Smart says Stommel was a patrol officer with the Idaho Falls Police Department when he started working there in 1967. They worked together in various capacities, including in the detective’s division.
Smart couldn’t recall any specific cases Stommel dealt with that were particularly memorable. But as his supervisor, Smart says his colleague was reliable and could be trusted to get the job done right.
“I didn’t have to go work a case with him because he was totally capable of making decisions on his own,” says Smart.
Stommel retired from the police department in 1992 before eventually running for Bonneville County sheriff.
Smart says Stommel helped a colleague, Marv Campbell, campaign for the position years earlier. Campbell ended up dropping out, but Stommel enjoyed that experience and set his sights on running for the position when he retired.
His election in 1992 began a 14-year stint in the sheriff’s office.
Smart says Stommel was instrumental in updating equipment and modernizing the sheriff’s office.
“He pretty much brought Bonneville County into the 21st century,” says Smart.
One update Stommel implemented was the establishment of a dispatch center at the old fire station on Grandview and Skyline drives.
He was also a key player in the construction of the new jail at 900 Environmental Way near the Idaho Falls Animal Shelter.
‘A proud legacy’
Smart is grateful for his association with Stommel over the years and says he’s going to miss the camaraderie and brotherhood they shared as former colleagues.
“Even after we had been retired for so long, it was (like no time had passed) when we ran into each other,” says Smart.
Stommel’s funeral was held over the weekend in Idaho Falls.
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In a news release announcing Stommel’s passing, the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office says Stommel was the county’s longest-serving sheriff. However, historical records from the Museum of Idaho say that distinction goes to Harry Meppen, who was in office from 1929 to 1944 — one year longer than Stommel.
The sheriff’s office expressed its condolences to Stommel’s family in a recent post.
“Our thoughts are with the Stommel family as we reflect on his long time service to our community as a law enforcement professional,” the sheriff’s office wrote on Facebook. “His years of service to the community left a proud legacy.”