Charles E. Steiger Sr.

Charles “Chuck” Edward Steiger, Sr. passed away at home in Oklahoma City, with his immediate family near him, on January 1, 2025, in his 96th year, to join the love of his life, Anne Jacobs Steiger. It is with profound sadness that we share this news of our beloved father, grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather. Charles was a man of the Lord and was steadfast in studying his missal and gospel readings. Chuck, as his family and friends referred to him, was of immense genial humor and wisdom, cherishing every moment spent with them. He had a big heart and never met a stranger.

Born on March 31, 1928 to Loren and Sophia Steiger of Dyersburg, Tennessee, he grew up along the Mississippi River. Chuck joined the Merchant Marines and entered WWII in early 1945 at the age of 17. He embarked on missions to Panama, the Persian Gulf, Pearl Harbor, Venezuela, Cuba and other ports, performing his duties on the T2 tanker USS Unaco and the ammunition freighter USS Idaho Falls. Chuck earned the Pacific and the Atlantic Merit Award for Victory pins and other commendations. After the US celebrated the WWII victory, Chuck returned home to Dyersburg, and joined the US Army Air Corps in 1946. He was sent to Lowry Field in Denver for photography training, having spent a few summers working in his uncle’s photography studio in Dyersburg. After training he was stationed at Ladd Field in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the 72nd Reconnaissance Squadron, and was the base photographer. He served on B-29 crews to perform aerial photography used to map the Arctic Circle. He returned to Lowry Field in Denver, Colorado in 1949 to serve his final 6 months before the end of his duty.

During these final days of service, On March 4th, 1949 he met Anne Jacobs, from Hays, Kansas. Chuck and Anne spent their first moments together dancing to “In the Groove” at a small dance club in Denver. It was love at first sight. They were married in Denver on May 04,1949 and spent the next 56 years loving life together and raising their children.

Chuck’s civilian career was highlighted by his 70+ years as a journeyman member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. He contributed to the construction of the Shawnee 1,100 megawatt coal-fired power plant in Paducah, Kentucky for the Paducah Uranium Enrichment Plant, the St Lawrence Seaway shipping locks at the Canadian border along the St. Lawrence River near Ogdensburg, NY, and Massena, NY, the Little Rock AFB Titan II Nuclear ICBM Underground Missile Silos, centered around Conway, Arkansas, and eventually the pipeline pump stations from Atoka, Oklahoma to Stanley Draper Lake in Oklahoma City, OK, which provides water for southern Oklahoma City. The pipeline project brought Chuck and Anne to Oklahoma City where they decided this was the best place in the US to raise their three children and purchased their first home in the town of the Village in 1963.

They became members of the St. Eugene’s Parish, in the Village where Chuck installed the Christmas lights in the church for many years each season, while Anne helped organize parish fall carnivals and other activities. Chuck and Anne served the Lord every Sunday at Mass. Everywhere they went they found a Catholic Church to attend. Chuck joined the Village Lions Club and together they enjoyed many club events including working the Lions Club concession stand several years for the Oklahoma State Fair. Dancing was their favorite pastime over the many years. After Chuck’s retirement together they fixed up a motorhome they named the “Jitney Bug” and traveled as “snowbirds” every winter after New Years to the Park Place Estates retirement village in Harlingen, Texas where they discovered friends from as far away as Canada that they met while living along the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Chuck is preceded in death by his wife Anne Jacob Steiger; and his parents, Loren and Sophia Steiger, his son-in-law’s David Wood and Richard Riley, his granddaughter-in-law Heather Anne Steiger, and other family members.

Chuck is survived by his sister Pat Viar of Dyersburg, Tennessee, his brother Bill Steiger of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, two daughters Cathy Riley and Nancy Jones and Nancy’s husband Gregg Jones, and his son Charles E. Steiger, Jr. all of Oklahoma City metro area, his grandchildren Jeremy, Charles E III, Brooke and husband Mickey, Jamie and husband Kelly, Jason and wife Amber and Joshua, and great-grandchildren Hunter and wife Laura, Tyler, Taylor, LeeAnn, Lukas, Loki, Jacob, and Drake, as well as his great-great grandchildren Michael, Gabrielle and Edward, and many other family members and friends, including Nancy Jensen, Steve Henderson and Buddy Ballard.

Chuck was a very blessed grandfather and never missed his grandchildren’s and great-grandchildren’s events. They could always count on him being there and cheering them on, and he always made sure his grandkids had a clean pool to swim in every summer where they would put swim shows together with their grandmother Anne, for the family.

It breaks our hearts to lose you, but know you will reside in our thoughts and in our hearts forever.

A visitation will be held at Memorial Park Funeral Home on Tuesday, January 14, 2025 from 11:00 am to 5:00pm, with family being present to greet friends from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm. A Rosary service will follow at 6:00pm at St. Eugene’s Catholic Church.

The Funeral Mass will be 1:00pm Wednesday, January 15, 2025 at St. Eugene Catholic Church with burial to follow at Memorial Park Cemetery.