Joel Bruce Splansky

Joel Splansky, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, passed away peacefully on July 21, 2026, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 87.

Joel was born on November 15, 1938, in Chicago, Illinois, to Roy Splansky and Jean (Freedman) Splansky. Joel’s father died when he was five, and he moved with his mother and younger brother Carl to Los Angeles in 1945. In 1950, Jean fell ill and Joel moved into Vista del Mar, known then as the Jewish Orphan’s Home of Southern California. Jean passed away in 1953, shortly after witnessing Joel’s Bar Mitzvah. Joel lived at Vista del Mar as a child and remained as a staff member while earning his Bachelor of Arts in both Geography and Physical Education at the University of California, Los Angeles. Vista del Mar is also where Joel built many of his most formative and long-lasting friendships and character traits such as tenacity, emotional intelligence, and ability to connect with others.

After graduating from UCLA, Joel was selected as a member of the inaugural cohort of Peace Corps volunteers to serve in Nigeria from 1961 to 1963. His time in Nigeria cemented his passion for geography, world travel, and adventure - which continued throughout his lifetime. Joel returned from Nigeria to a Masters and then Ph.D. program in Geography at UCLA. His doctoral studies included two years of research in Uganda, and upon completing his doctorate, he joined the faculty at California State University Long Beach, where he taught for nearly four decades. In addition to serving as Chair of the Department, he was an innovative teacher who developed several courses including “Man as an Agent of Environmental Change” and “Geography of Tourism.”

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Joel was a man of endless intellectual curiosity, good humor, quiet strength, and genuine interest in and care for others. He was a lifelong philatelist (stamp collector), whose comprehensive global collection reflected his love of learning about the world. He was also a voracious reader, dedicated UCLA Bruins fan, and loyal friend.

Joel and his beloved wife, Ruth, shared 53 wonderful years of marriage filled with love, laughter, and exploration. Together they traveled extensively, with adventures ranging from South Africa to the Amazon to India - diving deep into the cultures of every place they visited, whether that be eating unique delicacies, spending many hours at museums, exploring ancient ruins, or walking the streets of a walled city. Once their daughters were born, Joel and Ruth brought them on these adventures as well. Joel was a dedicated and proud father - driving his daughters to countless sporting events across Southern California, teaching them to swim and drive, creating bedtime stories, packing lunches for school, and weaving current events into dinnertime conversations.

Those who knew Joel will remember his professorial voice, his ability to listen, and his warm smile. He had a gift for connecting with everyone he met and appreciating pop culture and current events, alongside deeply intellectual pursuits. He was a patient man known by his family for the quote, “All in due time.”

Joel is survived by his devoted wife of 53 years, Ruth (Ikenberg) Splansky; his daughters, Jennifer (Splansky) Juster and Deborah (Splansky) Schlosberg; his son-in-laws Michael Juster and David Schlosberg, and his cherished grandchildren, Max, Annie, Leo, and Zoe.

Joel’s legacy lives on through the family who loved him and the countless friends and neighbors whose lives he touched. He will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered.

A private memorial service will be held at Hillside Memorial Park in Culver City, California. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made in Joel’s memory to Jewish Family Services of Los Angeles or The National Kidney Foundation.