Esther Marie "Esty" Steil

Esther "Esty" Steil, 82 of West Bend, passed away Thursday, September 25, 2025, at the Humboldt County Memorial Hospital in Humboldt. A celebration of life is pending and will take place in the future. Services have been entrusted to Lentz Funeral Home of West Bend. Online condolences may be left of www.lentzfuneralhome.com.
Her given name was Esther Marie, but most people just called her Esty. To me, she was simply Mom. And Mom always seemed to know what was needed. A last-minute pan of bars for something at school? No problem. She had just taken one out of the oven. Homemade chicken noodle soup to cure a sore throat? Consider it done. She could also quickly whip up a casserole big enough to feed whoever we happened to bring home and if it was just a bad day, one of her hugs could push away the darkest of clouds.
Mom was born Esther Marie Anliker in Iowa City on March 4, 1943. At birth, Mom's own mother was ill and felt she wouldn't be around to raise her youngest daughter. So, Grandma Anliker planned with her sister, Lydia, for Mom to be adopted. At just two days old, she was adopted by her aunt and uncle, Lydia and Raymond (Bill) Wilson. She always felt blessed to have two families. That was something uniquely hers – growing up knowing both her adopted sister, Ruth, and her many biological siblings. Some were much older so her relationships with them developed later, as adults. Some she never had the chance to meet. But she cherished the connections she had and carried that sense of family with her all her life.
She graduated from West Bend High School and went on to Iowa Teachers College (now the University of Northern Iowa) to become a speech and hearing clinician. Near the end of her senior year, in 1965, destiny came waltzing in-literally. At a firemen's summer picnic, her brother Paul kept nudging her toward a young man named Mike. Uncle Paul's interference that night turned into a lifetime of happiness. The following summer they were married and the two shared 59 years together, building a home that was always open and welcoming.
Together, they raised two kids, Mark and me (Linda), which I'm sure wasn't easy. (By that I mean Mark, because I was an angel. Later Esty's greatest joys came along-her grandchildren, Grace Steil and Gaby (Steil) Tipton. With them came overnights with grandma, lots of homemade cookies, 4H projects, a lifetime of memories, laughter, and so much love. Her step-granddaughter, Maja Sherman, also eventually joined the fun and was instantly folded into the family with the same love and care she showed everyone.
Mom's escape was quilting and sewing. Over the years she made dozens – maybe even hundreds – of quilts, each stitched with patience, care, and love. Many were gifted to family, friends, or someone who needed the kind of comfort that only a handmade quilt can bring. She was always quick to help others solve a tricky stitch or a pattern gone wrong and for years, it seemed, she always had a backlog of quilts she was doing for others. She was excited and so proud to pass her talents on to her granddaughter, Grace, ensuring that her artistry – and the love behind it – will carry on for another generation.
Mom could easily get lost in a good story and was never without her Kindle Fire nearby. With some guidance, she mastered the library's online loan system and was always on the lookout for her next read. In addition, she had a special love for the Grotto of Redemption, admired the work of the historical society, and carried a deep belief in helping others however she could – quietly, faithfully, and from the heart.
Her life wasn't about big, flashy things-it was about the steady heartbeat of family dinners, shared stories, laughter, and knowing her door (and oven) were always open. She had a knack for making people feel cared for, whether it was through her cooking, mending your favorite jeans that ripped in just the wrong place, or her steady presence. Even in death she found a way to give back by donating her body to science, a gift that will guide the hands and minds of health science students at Creighton University (Omaha).
Mom leaves behind her husband of 59 years, Mike, whom she loved beyond measure. Her children, Mark (Mary) Steil of Livermore and Linda (Jim) Sherman of New Hartford, and her grandchildren, Grace Steil (Albert Lea, MN), Gaby (Wyatt) Tipton (Ankeny), and Maja Sherman (Phoenix, AZ). Mom has one surviving sibling, Dan (Delores) Anliker of Mediapolis. She also had a large extended family of cousins, nieces, and nephews who will forever carry her spirit in the little things like passing on old family recipes or creating homemade treasures to give away at family reunions.
Preceding her in death were her birth parents, Noah and Elizabeth, and her adoptive parents, Raymond and Lydia; her adopted sister Ruth (Gordon) Andersen, and biological siblings Raymond (Pearl) Anliker, Alice Anliker, Irene (Lyle) Rick, Richard Anliker, Earl (Gladys) Anliker, Hazel (Joseph) Moser, Helen Anliker, Leona (Donald) Lanus, Paul (JoAnn) Anliker, and Rachel (Dennis) Fuller.
In lieu of flowers, please honor Mom with a gift to the West Bend library, food pantry or historical society, or the Grotto of Redemption. Or simply do what she did best-share a meal, lend an ear, or curl up with warm quilt and a good book.
West Bend Public Library
P.O. Box 46
West Bend, IA 50597
515-887-6411
West Bend Food Pantry
West Bend, IA 50597
515-887-4422
West Bend Historical Society
West Bend, IA 59705
515-200-9234
Grotto of Redemption
West Bend, IA 50597
515-887-2371