Joseph W. Steele

Lt. Col. (Retired) Joseph Wilson “Joe” Steele, 82, passed away peacefully of natural causes at home on Friday, January 4, 2013. Joe was born on March 31, 1930. He is survived by his devoted wife of 61 years, Mary Yoe Steele; his daughter, Linda Steele Wilson; son, John Stone “Jack” Steele; daughter, Mary Beth Steele Zaumeyer, daughter, Rebecca “Becky” LynnAn Steele Tierce (Tom); son, David Anthony Steele; fourteen grandchildren: AiryAnne, Sayla, Amy, Laura, Joshua, Sarah, Becky, Soraya, Zachariah, Rachel, Zakary, Samuel, Leah, and Ryan, and eight great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Josephine Steele, sisters, Ann Steele Nail and Marilyn Steele Hanna, his son, Joseph Michael Steele, and great-granddaughter, Madelynn Yarnovich. Joe was a decorated career Air Force officer, giving 21 years of service in the Strategic Air Command as a pilot and squadron operations officer. Joe served three tours of duty in the Vietnam theatre, flying 127 missions. He was a devoted husband to Mary Yoe, his childhood sweetheart, sharing many memories, joys, and heartaches over their many years together. They loved each other deeply. He always remembered birthdays and anniversaries. He was an amateur astronomer most of his life, an avid classic gun collector, and had many other interests over the years, including beekeeping, home brewing, photography, new gadgets, his tractor, and learning about new scientific discoveries. After retiring from the Air Force, Joe worked with Bodine Industries for fifteen years in a variety of positions. Joe showed a tender side in his later years with Mary Yoe and his love for their numerous kitty cats, rescuing and caring for Kitty Fu, Poco, Boy, CiCi, Yoda, Sam, KeKe, Lucy, Mickey, Sean, Tuffy, Jock, Tommy, and Minnie. Memorial Services will be held at Collierville Funeral Home, Thursday, January 10 at 4 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Humane Society of Memphis and St. Jude’s Childrens’ Hospital. Collierville Funeral Home (901)853-2628