Marion Steele

TRAVERSE CITY — Marion (Mead) Steele passed away on May 28 at Munson Medical Center, following a brief illness. She was born Dec. 6, 1917, in Hastings, to Orr and Lillian Mead. She attended schools in Allegan, Hastings and Flint before graduating from Central High School in Battle Creek. She attended Ferris State University, where she was a member and president of the national sorority Alpha Gamma Delta (formerly Alpha Phi Beta). She moved to Traverse City in 1935, where her father opened the Mead Drug Store on Front Street. She sang in the choirs at Grace Episcopal and Central United Methodist churches. On June 30, 1940, she married Earle E. Steele, who in 2001 wrote and published (with granddaughter, Kristen Hains) “Beauty is Therapy,” a book about the former Traverse City State Hospital. She was a Brownie leader for daughter, Marilyn and a Cub Scout leader for son, Ron at Boardman School. For several years she served as a volunteer at Munson Hospital working on the patient supply cart. After raising her children, she returned to college to finish her degree and then worked for 20 years as a dental assistant. She was a long-standing member of the First Congregational Church and, as a member of the Traverse City Golf & Country Club for more than 40 years, she always joked that she planned to be buried with her membership card. She loved to golf, ski, play bridge, fish and travel. During the summers she and Earle took the grandchildren exploring in their convertible and hosted backyard barbecues (key side dish: garlic toast) and badminton tournaments, where Marion’s long reach proved invaluable in digging the birdie out of the cedar hedge. She is survived by daughter, Marilyn (Joseph) Haines, of Traverse City; son, Ronald (Sally) Steele, of Grand Rapids; grandchildren, Brian Steele (and his son, Jackson), Michael Steele (and his wife, Karen and children, Seth, Lucas and Lindsay), Doug Steele (and his wife, Pam and daughters, Sydney and Alex), Todd Steele (and his wife, Le’Ann and daughters, Sophie and Macie), Kristen Hains (and her son, Nicholas), Suzann Sines (and her husband, Clinton and sons, Timothy and Corbin), Robert Haines, Catherine Towers (and Steve and their children, Taylor, Madison and Christian), and Zac, Noah, JJ and Elizabeth Crowell. She will also be loved and remembered by numerous nieces, nephews and friends (including her Wednesday Bridge group and her Friday night dinner companions). She was preceded in death by her parents; her sister, Marda Prout (and her husband, Preston); niece, Patricia Prout; granddaughter-in-law, Lori Hall Steele; brother, Dorr Mead; and granddaughter, Melissa Crowell. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m., with visitation one hour prior, on June 8 at the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be directed to the Music Ministry at the First Congregational Church, 6105 Center Road, Traverse City, MI, 49686.

Marion Steele

December 6, 1917 - May 28, 2013