Joseph Walters Steele V

Joe was born on October 16, 1949, in St. Louis, Missouri to his father Joseph Schall Steele IV and his mother Virginia Steele. Following his father’s death in 1961 he moved to Costa Mesa, California with his mother and sister, Judy. After high school Joe received his undergraduate degree from Northern Arizona University and later his Law Degree from the University of Utah in 1975. He later attended grad school at NYU.

During his time in California, Arizona and Utah, Joe cultivated what would become lifelong passions in outdoor recreation. Whether it be surfing the beaches of Malibu or Kauai, waterskiing at Lake Havasu, mountain biking through Moab, skiing mountains from Salt Lake City to Alaska, Joe was an adventurous and capable outdoorsman well into his 70s.

After earning his degrees, Joe began practicing law in Los Angeles, California. He found his passion in the legal field within the specialty of personal injury law. He was dedicated to helping clients suffering catastrophic, life-changing injuries and those wrongfully killed. During his long career as an attorney, he founded and partnered at several successful law practices in Los Angeles, Anchorage, and Salt Lake City, where he spent the majority of his time as a partner at Siegfried & Jensen. He earned millions of dollars for his clients in his tenure, including representing the State of Utah in several class action cases. Many of those clients remained close, personal friends until his death.

In 1982, on a fateful ski trip to Mammoth Mountain, Joe met his future wife, Margaret. They dated for 7 years living in Santa Monica and Malibu and married in 1989 on the beach of their favorite place, Kauai, Hawaii. After marrying, the young couple moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where Joe had fallen in love with the mountains and skiing offered by Utah. They welcomed their only son, Damon, on September 21, 1992.

In Salt Lake City, Joe and his family thrived as he grew his career, skied and biked regularly, and built a chosen family of lifelong friends who he kept close until the end. Dedicated to excellence in all that he did, Joe was a master chef and loved hosting and cooking gourmet dinners for his friends and loved ones.

As Joe’s life in Salt Lake expanded, he blossomed as a father and father figure to his many nieces and nephews and the children of his closest friends whom he loved and with whom he always found time for play and mentorship. He loved spending time with his son and found his greatest joy in sharing their mutual passions of skiing, biking, surfing, cars, and music.

In the words of one of his favorite authors J.R.R. Tolkien, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” In his 75 years, Joe lived an exciting and adventurous life on his own terms. He excelled at all he took on and fought for what he believed in. He positively impacted the lives of hundreds with his work and leaves behind a massive network of dear friends and family who will miss him dearly.

Private Memorial Service, December 8, 2024. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Lewy Body Dementia Association, www.lbda.org