Kenneth Steele

May 25, 1937 -

Feb 7, 2021

Kenneth J. Steele, 83 years old, passed away on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, at his home in Orange, Calif.

Ken was born in Montrose, Colo., to Victor and Gladys Steele, where he grew up on their family ranch. He attended the local high school before attending Mesa Junior College in Grand Junction, Colo. He was drafted in the Army in 1959, where he served as a military policeman with the 3rd Armored Division attaining the rank of sergeant. When he returned home he joined the Grand Junction Police Department. Ken married his wife of 32 years, Betty "Sue" (nee Benton), in 1963.

He took his family to Alaska in 1969 to pursue a job on the trans-Alaska pipeline. He drove the haul road for many years before earning a position as dispatcher in Anchorage with Mammoth of Alaska. He retired in 1985 and moved to Apache Junction, Ariz., with his wife and daughter to work with his father-in-law. They moved to Grand Junction in 1986, where he returned to truck driving with Werner Enterprises then with Rio Grande Railroad. His last job was working on the Latham Ranch in DeBeque, Colo., until the age of 74.

Ken was an avid outdoorsman, hunting and fishing wherever and whenever possible. He was a kind, helpful neighbor and supported multiple veterans foundations. He enjoyed many sports but was an outspoken, lifelong Denver Broncos fan.

He is survived by his brother, Wayne; his children, Victor, Robert and Vickie, and Cherise and John Bogart; six grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. He was predeceased by Betty; and his brother, Pete.

Memorial donations may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project at https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/donate.