ROBERT PHILLIP STEELE

Robert "Bob" Steele, an accomplished attorney and loving husband, father and grandfather, known for his sharp wit, infectious laugh and generosity, who served as chief legal counsel for two decades until 2013 for Oscar Mayer Foods, died Wednesday, April 8, 2020, at a hospital in Madison, Wis. He was 74.

During his long career, Mr. Steele successfully structured, protected and enforced Oscar Mayer's interests as the principal steward of the multibillion-dollar company's legal estate. His deep knowledge of legal disciplines from marketing, promotions, advertising and trademarks to regulatory compliance, anti-trust, procurement, intellectual property and litigation helped him achieve favorable outcomes or settlements in three of the largest advertising, defalcation and product liability cases in Oscar Mayer's history. When he retired in 2013, he was the only two-time recipient of the company's highest honor, the President's Award, and also had earned several top honors bestowed by parent-company Kraft Foods.

A corporate attorney for 40 years, Mr. Steele provided legal counsel for five Fortune 50 companies, General Foods, R.J. Reynolds/KFC, PepsiCo, Altria/Phillip Morris and Kraft.

Mr. Steele credited his paternal grandfather with encouraging him to become a lawyer. As a boy visiting his relatives in the South every summer, he often tagged along with the elder Steele, the sole notary public in his small Alabama town, going from house to house, helping disenfranchised families draft or respond to legal documents.

His childhood experiences inspired him to mentor young people to encourage them to pursue higher education and their career passions. He co-founded the largest annual distribution of backpacks and school supplies in Wisconsin for 3,000 schoolchildren. He also served on boards and committees for the Madison chapters of 100 Black Men of America, launching its youth mentorship program, United Way, Urban League and Big Brothers Big Sisters. He was a founding member and second Sire Archon of the Epsilon Theta chapter of the Sigma Pi Phi fraternity.

In 2011, Mr. Steele was named Mentor of the Year by Big Brothers Big Sisters for his 10-year support of his "little brother" who is now completing his final year of a four-year postgraduate program. He also was a charter patron of the Last Mile Foundation, a nonprofit that helps minority college students resolve financial setbacks as they approach graduation.

The Chicago native was admitted to the bar in three states, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. He served on the Wisconsin Bar Association Board of Governors and as president of the Greater Madison African-American Lawyers Association. He taught business law at Indiana University-Indianapolis, and served his country as a captain in an intelligence unit in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam conflict.

Mr. Steele earned bachelor's and law degrees from DePaul University. After graduating college, he began his career in 1967 at computer giant IBM in the marketing department, and later joined Harris Bank in the early 1970s, becoming one of the first African-American trust officers in U.S. banking. In 1974, he continued working full-time while attending law school full-time, still finishing in three years.

In 2013, his alma mater appointed him to the Advisory Council of the College of Science and Health, and honored him during a special ceremony for outstanding service to the legal profession.

He spent his final years enjoying his family and friends, and eating brisket, while recovering from a serious illness. Feeling a deep sense of satisfaction with how his life turned out, Mr. Steele once quoted former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall to sum it up, "I did the best I could with what I had."

Twice married, he is survived by his wife, Carol Nowell Steele, and their son, Adam Steele, daughter, Michele Steele Humphrey from his first marriage to Sandra Brunson Steele, son-in-law, Andrew Humphrey Jr., and grandson, Andrew Humphrey III, stepdaughter, Joy Nowell, two sisters, a brother, nieces and one nephew, extended family and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Lillian and Waddell Steele Jr., and oldest brother, Waddell Steele III. He will be greatly missed.

A viewing is scheduled at 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 14, 2020, at Gunderson Funeral Home, 2950 Chapel Valley Road, Fitchburg, Wis. 53711. A burial immediately follows at Forest Hill Cemetery, One Speedway Road, Madison, Wis. 53705.