Robert E. "Bob" Steele
December 29, 1936 – September 7, 2018
If heaven has a quiet corner, that's where you can now find Bob Steele. He's on a bench somewhere, enjoying a new book or some "angel watching." Sure, he'll join in the worship (How could he not?) but he's content to be in the company of His Savior, taking it all in from the back. That's who he was. Unassuming. Humble to a fault. A servant-leader..
Robert Eugene "Bob" Steele was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on December 29, 1936. He lived 81 years and 8 months before he died on September 7, 2018. (He would want to count those 8 months.) He grew up in the Jenks area and eventually joined the Air Force, where he would travel all over the world. He achieved the rank of Master Sergeant, specializing in Engineering and Efficiency.
After retiring from the military, Bob pursued his next true calling, education. He obtained both his Bachelor's and Master's Degrees from the University of Central Oklahoma, becoming an outstanding teacher and administrator in Oklahoma's public schools. He retired in 2007, but still wasn't done teaching. For the next ten years, he helped train future physicians at the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine as a Standardized Patient. Teaching was his gift and he was excellent. He was chosen as his district's "Social Studies Teacher of the Year", yet his resume lists his "Professional Recognitions" as "Contacts from former students and being able to see their successes as doctors, lawyers, business leaders, husbands, wives, or whatever they have become." He knew what was important, and he kept his focus there, always.
In 1980, after bribing his students to torture her with all sorts of pranks, Bob married the English teacher down the hall at Sequoyah Middle School. Cherrie (Day) and her "girls" (Heather, Kim, and Summer) joined his two kids (Roxy and Roby) to complete their family. This family is his legacy. For the next 38 years, it was "Daddy Bob's" mission to do everything possible to take care of his people. He spoiled his wife with shopping trips, Christmas gift scavenger hunts, and daily sonic Dr. Peppers, even in Oklahoma snowstorms. He gave his girls a Dad they could count on to teach them and love them unconditionally, day in and day out. He set standards on how others should be treated, work ethic, the value of a bargain, and so much more. Eventually grandchildren and great grandchildren came to love "Gramps" for his gentle and quiet spirit, his wisdom, and his magic tricks. He was one of a kind and the world is a better place because he lived here.
Preceded in death by his parents, and daughter, Roxanne Wilkerson, Bob is survived by his sister, Karen Seabolt; wife, Cherrie Steele; son, Robert (Roby) Steele (Beth); daughters, Heather Kendrick (Todd), Kimberly Hall (Jason), and Summer Fillmore (Geoff); his grandchildren and great grandchildren.
A celebration of Bob's life will be held Thursday September 13th at 1:00 p.m. at First Christian Church in Edmond. In lieu of flowers, Bob can best be remembered by a contribution to "Breakfast on Boulevard," an outreach ministry of First Christian Church where Bob volunteered for many years.