We Bid Farewell to Longtime StLGS Core Volunteer, Edward E. "Ted" Steele

Usually on the first of each month, our weekly blog features upcoming meetings. Because of the importance of the following "In Memoriam," we'll hold that post until next week. In the meantime, please use the Annual Family History Conference, Calendar of Events and Current Classes pages on our website for the latest news. Also, registration for our annual Salt Lake City Research trip has just opened. And now, please read on as we bid farewell to a beloved member of our genealogical family.

In Memoriam: Edward E. "Ted" Steele

We share the very sad news this week that our society and the greater genealogical community has lost another talented and dedicated volunteer. Edward Eugene Steele, whom we all knew as Ted, passed away on Saturday, 23 March 2024 after a brief but valiant battle against cancer. Ted worked for StLGS for more than thirty years filling a wide variety of roles, and he was a mentor and dear friend to many of us.

Ted assumed many leadership positions in the society. He came to us after retiring from a career at the Monsanto company where he had worked in Information Technology Management (IT). In 1982, he designed the society’s second logo, a much cleaner variation of the original, and this new logo was used from 1982 until 2003. You may remember that old logo, an image of the famous St. Louis Arch with a genealogy chart between its two legs.

Ted was the society’s librarian before joining our technology team. He was the conference chair of a national genealogy/technology conference in St. Louis called GENTECH in 2004, a precursor of today’s RootsTech conference. Ted went on to serve as president of StLGS from 2005 through 2008 and then resumed working with our website and tech team until 2020, when the pandemic changed our office routine, and he felt more comfortable working from home. 

Ted’s background in IT meant he was proficient with database software, and he used his skills in Microsoft Access and Excel to help design and upgrade the databases we used in the office for many years. He was happiest when he was organizing things, and because of Ted, we have a full accounting of the history of our society, including binders of photos, clippings, and articles that had been kept in folders and drawers until he tackled them. More recently, he took on the task of examining every cemetery page on our website and bringing all the data up-to-date, finding many places where we needed to make changes.

At heart, Ted was a writer and lecturer. He was the author of countless articles for our Quarterly journal and our newsletter, News ‘n Notes. He wrote biographies for our website, and he contributed to other genealogy publications. In between writing family history books for his own Ebbets family, he wrote for others, publishing books on several prominent St. Louis families, such as Busch and Drury. He taught classes for the society on writing, using the census, RootsMagic software, and other favorite topics, and he lectured at monthly meetings and conferences. 

When he wasn’t doing genealogy, Ted was a dancer and caller for the St. Louis Childgrove contra dance community, an avocation he dearly loved. He traveled widely, enjoyed nature and his getaway retreat during the summers in rural Maine, and spending time with his family. He was also a valued volunteer at Bellefontaine Cemetery, working on the genealogies of many of the people buried there.

We extend our deepest condolences to his wife Judy, brother Curtis, sons Richard and Matthew, and their families.