Diane Foelsch Steele

Diane F. Steele of Hoover, Alabama passed away on Saturday, July 19, 2025. Diane was born in New York City to Theresa and Frederick Foelsch. She also lived in Washington, DC, Richmond, Virginia, Atlanta, Georgia, and Birmingham, Alabama.

Diane is survived by her sister, Gerri F. Sharp (Atlanta, Georgia) and her daughters Cheryl Steele (Farmville, Virginia), Karen Natalie (Fleming Island, Florida) and husband Robert, Leslie Flemming (Birmingham, Alabama), and Pam Steele (Holly Springs, North Carolina). Her beloved grandchildren include: Andrew Natalie, Tyler Natalie, Lindsey Flemming Bice, James (Beau) Flemming, Meghan McCoy, and Emma McCoy.

She was preceded in passing by her beloved husband of 62 years, William (Bill) Steele and her parents.

She attended high school at Thomas Jefferson High School in Richmond, Virginia and graduated from Druid Hills High School in Decatur, Georgia. She attended Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Georgia, and later worked for St. Peter’s Parish in Hoover, Alabama in various roles. After raising her children, Diane received her Nursing degree from St. Vincent’s School of Nursing in Birmingham where she was recognized with the academic achievement award. Upon graduating, Diane worked at Princeton Hospital and later worked for the General Surgeons Group, as well as Health South where she was an Orthopedic Surgical Nurse.

Diane volunteered for many years with Special Equestrians equine therapy in Pelham, Alabama and as a volunteer with St. Vincent’s Hospital Auxiliary.

Known to her beloved grandchildren as Nana, Diane enjoyed taking them and their collie dogs over the years on boat trips to Smith Lake to water ski and fish. She also treasured time teaching her grandchildren to bake and cook. Diane played tennis for many years, including competitively in local tennis leagues. She enjoyed riding horseback English saddle in the woods of Oak Mountain State Park.

Diane was a voracious reader of fiction and non-fiction and most recently loved spending time with the book club at The Cottages at Danberry where she made many new friendships and actively participated in the community. Diane excelled at word games like Wordle and Connections and was a master of trivia—you either wanted her on your team or you did not want to compete against her.

A visitation for Diane will be held on Thursday, July 24, 2025 from 10:00 am to 11:00 am at Prince of Peace Catholic Church, 4600 Preserve Pkwy, Hoover, Alabama 35226, followed by a funeral mass at 11:00 am. Burial to conclude at Southern Heritage Cemetery in Pelham.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to: Best Friends Animal Society (Promoting Animal Welfare & Pet Adoption | Best Friends Animal Society), PBS and NPR (Donate : NPR), or to a charity of your choice.