David
David Steele
d. May 18, 2012
Obituary for David William Steele
Our beloved David (Dave) William Steele, 66 years old, passed away Friday, May 18, 2012, in Durango, Colo., after a two-year struggle with throat cancer. He left us too soon and will be deeply missed by family and his many friends.
Dave was born September 6, 1945, to Dorothy Davies and Harry Steele in Denver, Colo. He moved to California as a young boy and grew up in West Covina. There he attended Saint Christopher Elementary School and West Covina High School. He was on the varsity tennis team and an A student. He had a passion for surfing and was once swept out to sea on his surfboard when he was 17, surviving a night before being rescued by a fishing boat.
He went to college in Boulder, Colo., and Southern California, graduating with a degree in business from Long Beach State. Dave always loved to work with his hands as well as his mind, and he could build or fix anything. He worked on old cars as a teenager and later built a successful construction company in Sonora, Calif., called Steele Construction. Later he moved to Santa Cruz for his love of the ocean. He decided to change careers and studied computer programming, working for the University of California at Santa Cruz for many years.
He continued with his passion to build beautiful homes in the Santa Cruz area as well. Here he met Linda Michael, and they married and shared 12 beautiful years together. Dave enjoyed music immensely, especially blues and bluegrass, and taught himself to play the guitar and slide guitar. Playing wicked and tasty slide guitar, he was co-lead guitarist for the locally revered band, the Ded Wailers. Dave also took much pleasure in traveling, visiting Costa Rica, several destinations in the U.S., two trips on the famous Blues Cruise in the Caribbean, and numerous trips to Dave and Linda's second home in Sayulita, Mexico.
Dave loved beach volleyball, and for nearly 20 years, he was on the beach every Saturday morning to play. His volleyball friends became, and remain, a close-knit family of friends, in spite of everything that happened on the court. He also enjoyed mountain biking, hiking, tennis, and visiting great friends he has kept dear for more than 40 years.
He is survived by his wife, Linda Steele, stepchildren Kelsey Eiriksson of Portola, Calif., Timothy Michael, stationed at McConnell AFB, Wichita, Kansas, and Heather Moffatt of Pulaski, Tenn.; sisters Joan Steele Johnson of Berkeley, Calif., Sally Steele Roubison of Cali Mesa, Calif., and Kim Steele of Richmond, Calif.; nieces and nephews Kelley Johnson, Trevor Roubison, Skylar Roubison, and Danielle Mowers; great-nephew Deven Anthony Steele, and great-niece Leilou Etienne. He was preceded in death by his mother Dorothy Davies Steele, father Harry Steele, and stepmother Wanda Steele.
Cremation has occurred and a private family service will be held in Santa Cruz, CA on June 2, 2012 at 12:30pm.
Dave was born September 6, 1945, to Dorothy Davies and Harry Steele in Denver, Colo. He moved to California as a young boy and grew up in West Covina. There he attended Saint Christopher Elementary School and West Covina High School. He was on the varsity tennis team and an A student. He had a passion for surfing and was once swept out to sea on his surfboard when he was 17, surviving a night before being rescued by a fishing boat.
He went to college in Boulder, Colo., and Southern California, graduating with a degree in business from Long Beach State. Dave always loved to work with his hands as well as his mind, and he could build or fix anything. He worked on old cars as a teenager and later built a successful construction company in Sonora, Calif., called Steele Construction. Later he moved to Santa Cruz for his love of the ocean. He decided to change careers and studied computer programming, working for the University of California at Santa Cruz for many years.
He continued with his passion to build beautiful homes in the Santa Cruz area as well. Here he met Linda Michael, and they married and shared 12 beautiful years together. Dave enjoyed music immensely, especially blues and bluegrass, and taught himself to play the guitar and slide guitar. Playing wicked and tasty slide guitar, he was co-lead guitarist for the locally revered band, the Ded Wailers. Dave also took much pleasure in traveling, visiting Costa Rica, several destinations in the U.S., two trips on the famous Blues Cruise in the Caribbean, and numerous trips to Dave and Linda's second home in Sayulita, Mexico.
Dave loved beach volleyball, and for nearly 20 years, he was on the beach every Saturday morning to play. His volleyball friends became, and remain, a close-knit family of friends, in spite of everything that happened on the court. He also enjoyed mountain biking, hiking, tennis, and visiting great friends he has kept dear for more than 40 years.
He is survived by his wife, Linda Steele, stepchildren Kelsey Eiriksson of Portola, Calif., Timothy Michael, stationed at McConnell AFB, Wichita, Kansas, and Heather Moffatt of Pulaski, Tenn.; sisters Joan Steele Johnson of Berkeley, Calif., Sally Steele Roubison of Cali Mesa, Calif., and Kim Steele of Richmond, Calif.; nieces and nephews Kelley Johnson, Trevor Roubison, Skylar Roubison, and Danielle Mowers; great-nephew Deven Anthony Steele, and great-niece Leilou Etienne. He was preceded in death by his mother Dorothy Davies Steele, father Harry Steele, and stepmother Wanda Steele.
Cremation has occurred and a private family service will be held in Santa Cruz, CA on June 2, 2012 at 12:30pm.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of David Steele, please visit our flower store.
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