William Alexander Steele III

STEELE, William Alexander, III, aged 63, died Tuesday, October 23, 2012. Born in Nashville on May 21, 1949, Alex was the son of William Alexander and Ruth Pettus Steele who preceded him in death. He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Saundra Rucker Steele, two daughters, Britt Genevieve Steele Venuta of Arezzo, Italy (Fabrizio) and Olivia Ruth Steele of London; a sister, Ginger Steele Stephenson (Larry); a granddaughter, Carolina Venuta, who brought him great joy; his closest friend since elementary school, Tony Rose; and a large extended family whom he loved dearly.

Alex attended Julia Green Elementary School and was a proud member of the class of 1967 at Battle Ground Academy. There he was an athletic superstar, both on the basketball team and the track team, where he was anchor on the most famed sprint relay team of that era. While in high school he attained the rank of Eagle Scout and was president of Alpha Chi fraternity. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in economics where he served as an officer of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. In his youth, Alex worked for W. L. Hailey Construction, his father’s and uncle’s construction company, helping to build bridges and underground tunnels. Alex started his professional career at Commerce Union Bank in international banking, and he also developed outlets for his entrepreneurial spirit, which resulted in a tenure as president of Ingram Coal; music recording ventures; ownership of several Captain D’s franchises and other investments. At the time of his death he was also a shareholder and president of Hailey’s Harbor. Alex was a member of the Belle Meade Country Club and a past board chair of Friends of Warner Parks. He was deeply involved at the Vanderbilt Divinity School and at First Presbyterian Church, where he has served as a deacon and an elder. He and Saundra enjoyed traveling, especially to Italy, where they developed a keen interest in art, passions they passed on to their daughters. Visitation will be at the home Sunday, October 28, 2012 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Service will be held Monday, October 29, at 2:00 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church with Rev. Dr. Todd Jones and Rev. Dr. Sandra Randleman officiating. Visitation Monday 12:00 p.m. until service time at the Church in the Cheek House. Alex will be interred in the family plot at Mount Hope Cemetery in Franklin, TN. Active pallbearers are Alex Allen, Art Allen, Hunter Atkins, Dan Canale, Marge Crabtree, Chip Hickerson, Tony Johnston, Jack Nuismer, Tony Rose, Lewis Steele, Larry Stephenson, Harold (Spook) Stream, Jack Tyrell, and Bob West. Honorary pallbearers are the employees of Hailey’s Harbor. In lieu of flowers, donations to Family and Children’s Services (201 23rd Avenue North, Nashville 37203) or the Vanderbilt Divinity School (2301 Vanderbilt Place, Nashville, 37240) are welcome. In Alex’s words, “See you on the other side.”