Joseph Asbell, 85, former Camden prosecutor

Joseph Asbell, 85, of Westmont, a former Camden City prosecutor and solicitor for various South Jersey communities who was known for his expertise in workers' compensation, died of chronic kidney disease Sunday, Oct. 17, at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center.

A few years after starting his law practice in Camden, Mr. Asbell was sworn in as prosecutor in 1957, a post he held for about five years, his family said.

He later worked as solicitor for many South Jersey towns, including Runnemede and Chesilhurst.

Mr. Asbell's practice, which he had for close to 50 years, dealt with personal injury, medical malpractice, and workers' compensation.

"Everyone went to him for [advice on] workmen's compensation," said his nephew Sam Asbell, a former Camden County prosecutor. "He represented many, many unions."

Mr. Asbell could be an intimidating figure. In the late 1960s, his was one of the main voices in getting the state to move the temporary location of the Workmen's Compensation Court in Camden after a fire destroyed the State Office Building.

Mr. Asbell protested the placement of the court in the basement of SS. Peter and Paul Church, calling it "absolutely disgraceful," according to a 1969 Inquirer article.

In 1981, after losing a case to reinstate more than 400 Camden County employees who were laid off, Mr. Asbell said he was not surprised by the decision.

"It seems that the courts have been going against the unions," he told The Inquirer.

He was ferocious when arguing cases, said those who knew him. "In court, he could be a tiger," Sam Asbell said.

But strong words in his law practice, which he continued until just a few years ago, were a professional facade, his nephew said. Mr. Asbell was a "teddy bear" with his family and friends.

Mr. Asbell was also a thoroughbred stable owner whose horses raced in the Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey circuit, said his wife, Lois. He would go to the track about four days a week. It was a hobby he turned into a business.

Mr. Asbell was born and raised in Camden. After graduating from Camden High School in the early 1940s, Mr. Asbell went into the Army and fought overseas during World War II.

After returning from the war in 1945, Mr. Asbell enrolled at Dickinson College. He graduated from Dickinson Law School in the early 1950s.

Mr. Asbell was admitted to the New Jersey Bar Association in 1952. His first job was clerking for Carl Kisselman, a prominent Camden lawyer.

In 1956, he married Lois Malamut, whom he had met in Atlantic City, where she was working at her family's hotel.

Mr. Asbell was a lifelong member of Congregation Beth El, now in Voorhees.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Asbell is survived by daughters Lori Donahue and Sally, and one granddaughter.

Friends may call at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 19, at Platt Memorial Chapels, 2001 Berlin Rd., Cherry Hill. A funeral will follow at 1. Interment will be in Crescent Memorial Park, Pennsauken.