PORTLAND – Steven Sabel, the longtime managing editor of The Perris Progress, passed away in Portland, Oregon, due to complications from cancer. He was 55.

Born Steven Thomas Sabel on July 11, 1971, to Lorraine and William Sabel, Steven grew up in Riverside, where he attended Ramona High School. Sabel was known in the City of Perris as a larger-than-life personality.

He met and married Etha Hoban in 1994, whose parents, John and Irene Hoban, owned The Perris Progress (1978-2006). He became involved in the family business, guiding the newspaper through the advent of technology and working as an investigative reporter.

Sabel was known for fighting against corruption in the City of Perris, often causing disruptions at City Council meetings when the elected leaders wouldn’t answer his questions. Sabel’s focus was on government waste and corruption, particularly how the city’s sewer and water funds were not being used correctly, leaving thousands of citizens in downtown Perris with faulty systems. His investigative journalism was successful, resulting in more oversight of taxpayers’ money.

Sabel was also an incredible theater artist. His passion began when he was 12 years old, performing in the play “Deadwood Dick or the Game of Gold!” When he arrived in Perris, he and his wife Etha produced a play for the City of Perris Recreation Department, “Class Dismissed.” Shortly thereafter, Sabel started his own production company, STS Productions, producing, directing and performing in plays from Mario’s Place Dinner Theatre to seven years as the director of Notre Dame High School’s theater program, while also serving as the producer and founder of the Redlands Shakespeare Festival, which ran for nine years from 2006 to 2013.

After divorcing his first wife, Sabel went on to Los Angeles, where he started Archway Theatre in Koreatown. It was there that he met Annie Freeman, a talented actress, whom he cast in his original production of “Lizzie Borden.” The Sabels married and eventually moved to Grants Pass, Oregon. Sabel continued producing plays, from Shakespeare in the Vines at a local winery to straight plays in unconventional locations, such as “Steel Magnolias” in a local hair salon.

Sabel passed away on Sept. 10 after undergoing radical jaw replacement surgery to remove cancer, a disease he had battled for 25 years. He is survived by his wife Annie, their three young children, his sister Lori Potter and many nieces and nephews.