Obituary of R. Steele

R. Edward Steele, 75, passed away on February 13, 2012 with his family by his side. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana on August 10, 1936 to Robert F. and Margaret E. Steele, Ed grew up in Binghamton, New York and graduated from Purdue University in 1959 (BS, Chemical Engineering), where he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. In 1958, Ed married Susan Jane Neff in Chicago, Illinois and embarked on a professional career that spanned 44 years in the chemical industry, and was a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the NE Chemical Association. He also served for 30 years in the United States Army Reserves and retired with the rank of Colonel. Ed was an active member of his community and served on various boards and commissions in the service of West Windsor Township, including most recently the Planning Board and the Zoning Board. Ed was well known for his love all things oenophilic, was a member of the American Wine Society, and will be missed as the perfect source of information on travel to both the wine regions of France and of Napa Valley. He and his wife, Sue, traveled widely and had a special love of Colonial Williamsburg. His wife of 50 years and 2 daughters, Sally and Nancy, pre-deceased him, and Ed leaves behind his daughter Ann, her wife, Sarah, his mother, Margaret, his sister, Susan, and her family, and the countless friends that touched his life through the years. His family wishes to thank the MICU unit at The Rhode Island Hospital for their care and attention to Ed in the last days of his life. A memorial mass will be celebrated for Ed at 11:00 on Friday the 24th of February, 2012 at St. David the King Catholic Church, 1 New Village Rd. West, Princeton Jct., NJ. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, P.O. Box 1776, Williamsburg Virginia, 23187. Arrangements are under the direction of The Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton.