Frederick A. Steckel

Frederick Arthur Steckel, MD, a retired U.S. Army Colonel, died on Saturday, December 20, 2025, after a full and accomplished life.

He was raised in Slatington, Pennsylvania, by his parents, William Steckel and Beulah (née Minnich). He attended local schools, where he participated in academic, musical, and athletic activities. His early interests in mathematics and science led him to pursue a degree in Electrical Engineering at Princeton University. Following graduation, he worked for the Western Electric Company in Allentown, Pennsylvania. After less than a year, he realized this path was not his future and sought new challenges.

Dr. Steckel was accepted to the Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania, administered by Penn State University, where he earned his Doctor of Medicine degree. He completed a three-year residency in Internal Medicine at Allentown Sacred Heart Hospital (now Lehigh Valley Health Network), where he met his first wife, Lois Walters, followed by four years in private practice in Vermont and Pennsylvania.

Having spent two formative summers working in Switzerland, Dr. Steckel developed a deep appreciation for European culture, travel, and languages. This inspired him to apply to the U.S. Army, which offered the opportunity to live, work, and travel abroad—particularly in Germany, where he had ancestral roots and where the local dialect, “Pennsylvania Dutch,” was still spoken.

After four years of service at Landstuhl Army Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, he returned to the United States to work at the newly rebuilt Evans Army Community Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Two years later, seeking a new professional direction and lifestyle, he entered a four-year residency in Radiology at Letterman Army Medical Center in the Presidio of San Francisco. Upon completion, he returned to Landstuhl, Germany, where he served for the next eight years, rising to the rank of Colonel.

During his military career, Dr. Steckel traveled extensively, visiting every country in Europe as well as several in Africa and Asia. He skied at dozens of Alpine resorts and met his second wife, Linda Hall.  A final Army assignment at Moncrief Army Medical Center at Fort Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina, enabled him to retire after 21 years of military service.

Though retired from the Army, Dr. Steckel continued his professional work as a civilian radiologist, contracting with the Army at Evans Community Hospital, where he worked for an additional 15 years before fully retiring.

Active and vigorous throughout his life, Dr. Steckel had envisioned an active retirement. However, in an unfortunate turn of events, he developed a rare autoimmune disease with symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease, which severely limited his mobility and independence—though thankfully not his mental faculties. With the support of friends, colleagues, and dedicated healthcare providers, he continued to enjoy many of his favorite activities, including dining out, travel, and attending concerts by the Colorado Springs Philharmonic Orchestra and the Pike Peak Jazz & Swing Society.

He is survived by his brother, Paul Steckel and wife Marilyn of Slatington, as well as nieces & nephews.  He was pre-deceased by his older brother, Eric Steckel who died in 2022.

Dr. Steckel will be cremated and laid to rest in his ancestral family plot at Union Cemetery in Slatington, Pennsylvania.  Services will be announced in the near future.