Robert A. Steele

STEELE, ROBERT A. Robert A. Steele, a republican and a patriot, and successful business and community leader, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday, June 12. He was 92. Described by colleagues, local business leaders, family and friends as a dedicated family man, a supporter of many causes and celebrated business entrepreneur, he is survived by his wife of 40 years, Millicent; five children, Ted Sr. (Sue), Pat Purtill (Dave), Melanie Popper, Carole Lash (Lew) and Betsy Jackway (David); by 17 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren; and his sister Jeannette Cooley and brothers John Steele and Richard Steele. Born in Lansing, Michigan, Mr. Steele displayed his entrepreneurial spirit at the young age of eight by establishing a paper route with his older brother Vern when the United States entered into World War II, he joined the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a private, moving up and retiring with the rank of major during the war After the war, Mr. Steele joined a Lansing lumber company, which he eventually turned into the Schultz, Snyder and Steele Lumber Company - a large,independent building materials wholesalers in the Midwest with lumber mills throughout the northwest. After taking early retirement, Mr. Steele moved to Fort Lauderdale in 1962. It wasn't long before he established strong community ties, fostered new business relationships, took on new community causes and delved into a new business venture. His business philosophy has always been, "I invest in people, not things". A dear friend convinced him that he was too young to retire and urged him to purchase the South Florida Mack Truck Inc. distributorship, which consisted of one dealership in Miami. He soon added offices in Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Fort Myers and eventually developed the company as the largest Mack Truck distributor in the United States with service extending to South America. Mr. Steele's community involvement has touched the lives of many individuals, organizations and boards, including such entities and agencies as Nova Southeastern University, Holy Cross Hospital, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Salvation Army, United Way, American Cancer Society, South Florida Council of Boy Scouts, Devcon International and the Navy League. His dedication was celebrated on numerous occasions. In 1991, Mr. and Mrs. Steele were honored by the American Heart Association for their outstanding service to the community and humanitarian commitment and service as the recipients of the Golden Heart Award. As a retired executive establishing a second career in a developing community, Mr. Steele met with retired chief executive officers and top business leaders regularly as a member of a social group named the Restless Weasels. Once a month, the group met for lunch at the Lauderdale Yacht Club and discussed current trends, business ventures and news. From those meetings often came new innovations and ventures. Mr. Steele contributed 34 years of dedicated service to Nova Southeastern University after taking his seat on the Board of Trustees in 1974. He served as the Board's Finance Committee Chair for several years before being appointed Chairman of the Board, a position he held for 10 years. Mr. and Mrs. Steele have given philanthropically and acted as the university's ambassadors throughout the country. He is considered by his colleagues at NSU as one of the pillars of strength that helped build Nova Southeastern University into what it is today. In 1991, his dedication to NSU was honored when he received the most prestigious award given by the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida - the Champions of Higher Education in Florida Award. In 1997, Mr. Steele was inducted into the Entrepreneurs Hall of Fame at NSU. In 2000, Mr. and Mrs. Steele were recognized by NSU with the President's Community Award. A funeral service for Robert A. Steele will take place on Monday, June 16 at 2 p.m. in the Robert A. and Millicent Steele Auditorium at NSU's Health Professions Division, 3200 South University Drive, Davie, 33328. The family has requested in lieu of flowers that donations be made to the Robert A. Steele Scholarship Fund at the H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship at NSU. To visit this Guest Book Online, go to www.MiamiHerald.com/obituaries.