Sgt. Joseph Stifter, 30, a soldier with the U.S. Army 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, was killed on Jan. 30 when the armored Humvee in which he was riding rolled over at the Al Asad Airbase in Iraq’s Anbar province.

U.S. Army Sgt. Joseph Stifter was killed in a vehicle accident while serving in Iraq. (photo courtesy of the U.S. Army)

Stifter, who was raised in Glendale, is the son of Fred and Regina Stifter. Fred Stifter is the owner and operator of Linoleum City in Hollywood.

Stifter joined the Army in May 2011 and became a field artillery cannon crewmember. He was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division, 7th Field Artillery Regiment in 2012 and was deployed in October to Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. The cause of the accident remains under investigation, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

Stifter was born on Feb. 1, 1985 at White Memorial Medical Center and was named after his grandfathers Joseph Tozar and William Francis Stifter. He attended elementary and middle school in Glendale and graduated from St. Francis High School in La Cañada. Stifter enjoyed hiking in the foothills above the city while growing up in the Glenoaks Canyon section of Glendale, as well as skiing and snowboarding during trips to Mammoth Mountain.

After high school, Stifter worked at Universal Studios Hollywood and attended the Los Angeles Recording School. He earned an audio recording engineer certificate in 2008.

Stifter joined the U.S. Army in May 2011 and was later stationed at Fort Riley in Kansas, where he met his wife Melissa. He earned the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Combat Action Badge.

He is survived by his wife and two-year-old daughter Olivia, his parents, brother John and sister Ellen. A mass of Christian burial will be held today at 10 a.m. at St. Bede the Venerable Catholic Church, 215 Foothill Blvd., in La Cañada. Internment will be at the San Fernando Mission Cemetery, 11160 Stranwood Ave., Mission Hills.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the U.S.O. or to the Olivia Stifter College Fund.