William Alexander Steele

Bill was preceded in death by his wife of 65 years, Gean Steele; son Gary Steele; son-in-law Jim Blackwell; sisters Vivian Miller, Alice Lane, Lucille Autrey, Althea Smith, and brothers Clarence and Jack Gentry. Bill is survived by son, Phillip Steele Sr, daughters Karen Blackwell and Wanda Hankins; grandchildren Phillip Steele Jr, Edward Steele, Katie (Ryan) Bratton, Megan (Justin) Hanvey, Clay (Neomi) Blackwell, Ty, Casey, and Shelby Blackwell. Great-grandchildren Kelsey and Riley Bratton, Joshua Joy, Kolton Pringle, Eric Steele, Madeline Blackwell, and many nieces and nephews.

Bill married Gean Godwin in Mobile on June 12, 1955, later moving to San Antonio where they raised their family. Bill retired from the Department of Defense with over 33 years of service in 1985, then went on to partner in a telecommunications company and work as a Government Contractor on Ft Sam Houston for many years.

Bill has always loved to travel, leaving home at 14 to enjoy many adventures across the South, eventually joining the US Army. He trained as a medic at Ft Sam Houston and was stationed at Ft Dix, New Jersey, for the remainder of his tour. Earning his GED in the Army, he attended the University of Alabama, becoming a lifelong Crimson Tide fan. After retirement, Bill and Gean joined the RV crowd, enjoying trips across the country with relatives, friends old and new, making memories they relived over and over.

Bill enjoyed gardening, coin collecting, and hunting treasure with his metal detector. Bill was a devoted husband, loving father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. To all who knew him as "BS," it is the end of an era; he and his silly jokes will be greatly missed.

A graveside service is planned for noon on Saturday, August 15, at Sunset Memorial Park, with services by Pastor John Myers. In lieu of flowers, a donation in memory of Bill may be made to the Epilepsy Foundation of Central and South Texas at http://www.efcst.org.

Special thanks to the staff of Elara Caring Hospice for the care and support for the whole family.