Delmer Leroy Steele
October 8, 1943 – August 6, 2023
Delmer Leroy Steele, 79, of Omaha, NE, formerly from Merrill, IA, passed away surrounded by his family, Sunday August 6, 2023 of heart failure.
Del was born on October 8, 1943, in Allen, NE. Son of Elmer and Alice (Reuter) Steele and grew up on their farm with his two older sisters, Burdon Arnold and Beverly Jenkins. Del married Mary (Sweum) on June 15, 1967, and celebrated 49 years of marriage together before her passing in 2016. Together they raised three daughters: Sharon, Lillian, and Jeanette.
Del graduated from Highschool in Allen, Nebraska (class of 1961) and later enlisted in the Army Reserves. He held various jobs that took him to Chicago, IL and Kansas City, MO, opening Woolworth’s stores before settling down to raise a family around South Sioux City, NE. He was always a hard worker, looking to be independent he started driving a semi-truck which led to him to owning his own trucking company. He then looked to try other ventures closer to his family by running a pizza parlor in Sioux City, IA, and buying an acreage outside of Lawton, IA. He supported the community by being a school bus driver for Lawton-Bronson High School and retired after 20 years being a manager at Hy-Vee in Sioux City, IA.
Del enjoyed photography, loved traveling, and camping in the outdoors. He and Mary were snowbirds and would spend many winters in Texas, often hosting visits from his family. Del was self-made, resilient, and could fix just about anything. He was especially motivated to save a dollar and taught himself everything he knew from trial and error (and Chilton repair manuals).
Del was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Burdon; wife, Mary; and their infant daughter, Michelle. He is survived by his sister, Beverly Jenkins; children, Sharon and husband Perry McClary, Lillian and husband Steve Dawes, and youngest daughter Jeanette Steele; six grandchildren: Amber, Ashley, Andrea, Bobbi, Jazmine, and Evyn; two great-grandchildren.
VISITATION: Friday, August 18, 2023, 9 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
SERVICES: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m., West Center Chapel with luncheon to follow.
Private Interment: Eastview Cemetery, Allen, NE.
3 Comments
All my prayers are for Del’s daughters and family. We all miss Del so much. Del was always a loving and caring father, grandfather, and friend.
Del was such a special person. I started school with Del and the Class of ’61 in 3rd grade. I couldn’t come to the funeral because I just had surgery. Del got our classmates texting group started and was a big part of that and always reminding us when our day was approaching. He will be missed so much.
Becky Northrup
Class of ’61
I met Del when we were in 3rd grade and I started going to school in Allen. He was such a special person. He was the main force behind our classmates texting group which we all enjoyed so much. I had to laugh when he told about his daughter’s decided to clear out some of his stuff and after they left he brought the things he wanted to keep back into the house and put them in a different place. Del will be greatly missed.
Becky Emry Northrup
Class of ’61
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