Thomas Steele

Thomas Lowell Steele, 61, of Milan, Illinois passed away on Wednesday, October 7th, 2020 in a tragic construction accident on a Kentucky mountain top, doing what he loved in his favorite piece of machinery.

Services to celebrate Tom’s life will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, October 19, 2020 at the Halligan-McCabe-DeVries Funeral Home, 614 N. Main Street, Davenport. Services will be livestreamed by visiting Tom’s obituary at www.hmdfuneralhome.com and clicking the link on the bottom.  Visitation will be Sunday, October 18 from 1 until 4 p.m. at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Music-Movement or Christian Care of Rock Island.

Tom was born January 13, 1959 to Hartwell and Bonnie (Whiteside) Steele in Moline, Illinois. As a child he grew up on a farm, with 4 brothers and 5 sisters, where his love for farm animals, farming and work ethic began. At the age of 14, he started his first job at his grandfather’s horse farm and has carried on the tradition to his own farm baling hay with his grandchildren.

As a member of the senate of his Rock Island High School Class of 1977, his ability to lead others was evident. He started his entrepreneurship installing guard rails which eventually lead to creating the T. Steele Construction legacy in 1997. He will be remembered as a boss who deeply cared for his employees and treated everyone as family. He owned several businesses including Xcel Consultants, Steele’s Farm, Steele’s Pond and many others. He was also a partner in B.S. Crane and QC Blasting and Coating.  Describing Tom as a work-a-holic would be an understatement!

He was united in marriage to Wendy (Walker) Steele on April 13, 1997. Family meant everything to Tom and was just a way of life. He encouraged his 8 children to work hard, be honest and to live down the street.

As an AA mentor, Tom recently received his 30-year chip and was proud of this accomplishment. He truly believed in the AA program and everything it stood for. He recited the Serenity Prayer each night to bring peace, faith, and certainty to his heart.

Left to honor his memory are his wife, Wendy Steele of Milan, Illinois; his children: Amber (Pat) Clark of Powell, Ohio, Danielle (Ryan Turner) Jones of Bettendorf, Iowa, Thomas  Lowell “Jacob” (Bridget) Steele of Davenport, Iowa, William (Colleen) Steele of Carol Stream, Illinois, Joe (Mandy) Steele, Samuel (Chelsy Borisek) Steele, Carly (Thomas) Leech, Alex Charles “Wesley” (Tia Fuhr) Steele of Milan, Illinois, grandchildren: Grace and Emma Clark, Mackenzie, Bailee and Walker Jones, Quinn, Griffin and Sloan Steele, Owen, Liam, and Ella Steele, Levi and Wyatt Steele, Nora and Theo Leech, Arlo Steele; great-grandchild, Rosalie Xique, his brother, Hartwell “Mickey” (Carole) Steele, Jr. of Bella Vista, Arkansas; his sisters: Barbara (John) Norton of Bella Vista, Arkansas, Cynthia (Kirk) Swanson of Mesa, Arizona, Debra Steele of Bettendorf, Iowa, Melissa (John) Oliver and Laura (Todd) Dickey of Moline, Illinois; his sister-in-law Kathy Steele of Moline, IL; countless nieces, nephews and so many more.

He was preceded in death by his parents Hartwell and Bonnie Steele, and his brothers John, Lawrence, and William Steele.

Tom dedicated his life to family, work, and God. The way he died is just like the way he lived: Strong Like Bull.