Tim Steele

1950 - 2022

January 20, 1950 - December 17, 2022 James Timothy Steele known to all as Tim and his students as Coach, passed away in the early hours of December 17th at the Twin Peaks home he built with the love of his life Ronda. Diagnosed in 2005 with Parkinson's, he fought valiantly against the debilitating disease all the while keeping his keen sense of humor until he could no longer speak. Tim was the first child of James D. Steele and Wanda McMillan, born in 1950 in Compton, CA. He would often joke that he walked uphill both ways to school in the smog. Moving to Downey, CA in the late 50's, Tim spent the majority of his time playing baseball with the neighborhood kids and on teams. A stand-out left handed 1st baseman he was drafted after high school to the Kansas City Royals but chose to continue his education. He played at Cerritos Community College where he led the team to 2 championships and was all-conference MVP. USC took notice and soon offered him a full-ride scholarship to play for the Trojans. At USC he had a .347 batting average (during the wood bat era) which still ranks 10th all-time in Trojan history. A two-time all-conference honoree and member of the 1971 & 1972 All-College World Series Team, Tim led the Trojans in hits (65) in 1971 and in batting average (.366), hits (75) and runs (57) in 1972. He went 2-for-4 in both the '71 and '72 title games, scoring the lone run on a wild pitch in 1972's 1-0 victory over Arizona State and nearly missing his own wedding in the process. He represented the United States in the Pan American Games earning a silver medal and a meeting with then President Nixon. He went on to play 4 seasons in the minor leagues for the Dodger Organization. With the arrival of his 1st child Tim put away his bat to become a teacher and coach. He joined Rim of the World High School in 1979 as a PE teacher and assistant baseball and football coach. He later joined the coaching staff at the University of Redlands and ending his baseball coaching career at San Bernardino Valley College. He molded, inspired and changed countless lives for 30 years until his retirement in 2011. He didn't live the life of fame and fortune that he had dreamed of when playing baseball, but he lived a life of incredible magnitude and worth. He is loved and missed by his wife of 50.5 years Ronda, daughter Heather Steele Wright (Doug) of Brentwood, TN, son Timothy (Christina) of Highland, CA, 8 grandchildren (Aisli, Ethan, Walker, Reagan, Cici, Rexton, Faith and Elijah), brother David of Logan, UT and many loved nieces/nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by his son David Tyler, parents Wanda and J.D., and sister Sandy. Services will be held on Saturday January 21st at 3:30pm at Rim of the World's Preforming Arts Center. All are welcome to attend.