Fred Steele, 97, of Lyndon, IL, died Monday, August 19, 2024, at Homestead Assisted Living and Memory Care of Morrison, IL.
Fred was born January 9, 1927, in Murphysboro, IL, to James and Pearl (Logan) Steele. He graduated a year early from Pinckneyville High School in 1944. When he turned 18 in 1945, he joined the United States Army. World War II ended when he was in boot camp. When Fred graduated from boot camp, the Army made him a Sergeant and a Drill Instructor. When his enlistment was up, the Army offered him an appointment to West Point. He turned it down, because he wanted to get married. Fred married Peggy Stone in 1946, and they moved to Morrison. She died in 1995, after 49 years of marriage. He later married Vivian Keene in 1997. They had been married for 20 years, when she died in 2017. He worked in a factory for a month. Then he and Marv Geerts bought the Shell Station and turned it into a profitable business. Because of allergies, Fred left the gas station and went to work for Commonwealth Edison, as a Lineman. In 1963, he became a Financial Advisor for IDS, now Ameriprise Financial. He retired at 76 in 2003. He was very active in the Methodist Church, where he was a Lay Minster, in Stephen Ministry, and many communities. He was involved in Volunteers in Probation and the Lions Club. He was the Commander of the Color Guard of the American Legion, attending veterans’ funerals and marching in the Memorial Day Parade until he was 90. He worked hard to get the new Methodist Church built. He was also a driving force to get the Lyndon Veterans Memorial, the Lyndon Car Show, and to save the Lyndon-Prophetstown Bridge.
Survivors include his children, Greg (Judy) Steele of Princeton, IA, Jeff (Mary) Steele of Lyndon, Jane (Gary) Hardin of Rantoul, IL, and Mark Steele (LeeAnn) of Morrison; stepson, Robert Barth (Edward Davis); stepdaughter, Barbara Niedner; ten grandchildren; 23 great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; brother, Rex Steele; sister, Ramona Mathis; many nephews and nieces. Fred’s great-grandchildren called him Grandpa Great.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Peggy; his second wife, Vivian; sisters, Maxine Stone, Evelyn Mathis, Callie Lee and Elizabeth Steele in infancy; brothers, John Steele and James Steele in infancy.
His Memorial Service will be held at 3:00 p.m., on Saturday, September 21, 2024, at the Morrison Chapel of the Bosma-Renkes Funeral Home, with Ken Renkes officiating.
A Memorial Visitation will begin at 1:00 p.m. and continue until the time of the service.
Honoring Fred’s wish, his body has been donated to medical science.
Cremation rites will be accorded, and a Graveside Service will be held at Grove Hill Cemetery in Morrison, IL.
A memorial has been established to Morrison United Methodist Church.