Charles "Chuck" Alfred Steele

“Well, I guess this is the end of the game,” he said. It’s time to go home. Charles Steele, 96 years young, passed away peacefully at SSM Hospital on September 17, 2026, with his family by his side. He was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, uncle and friend to all.

Charles was preceded in death by his son, Michael; daughter-in-law, Vivian; parents, Robert and Hortense Steele; in-laws, Ivo and Anastasia Kronzer; and brother-in-law, James Clinton. He is survived by his wife of 72 years, Marjorie; and their children, Michele (Robert) Luke, James Steele, Jody (Joel) Myrold and Laurie (Todd) Hellenbrand; nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren; sister-in-law, Mary Ellen Clinton; and nieces and nephews.

The time spent with him in the hospital before he passed gave us a chance to reflect on his life lessons or “Chuckisms.” Here are a few: Enjoy life. Salt the watermelon. Swim across a lake. Take a woodcarving class and carve a Santa for each of your grandchildren. Take the trip. Draw cartoons for the fun of it. Eat the last piece of lasagna. Restore an old Falls Flyer boat and call it “Boondoggle.” Call your grandson’s wife a sweetie. Then listen to her read scripture in the hospital. Enjoy a chocolate shake in the hospital for your last hurrah. Watch a Packers game. Say, “I love you.” Make people laugh. Go to church. Let your daughter make you a chef salad after mowing the lawn. Call your caregiver “honeybun." Root for the Brewers. Name a room in your house “The Art Room.” Sneak a chocolate bar. Become a lifeguard. Teach your daughter how to drive a stick shift. Enjoy a dirty martini with two olives. Snuggle your first grandchild. Spend your time with a cat… and another, and another and another. Go bald but not by choice. Play cards on your picnic table with the neighbors. Send your daughters to Stop ’n Go on a Sunday with $2.00 so you can watch the Packers game in peace. You know it will take them at least two hours to return. Join the Madison Dive Squad. Be asked to dive down in the Tenney Park Locks and find a lost diamond ring. Score! Paint a picture and another picture and another one. Achieve an Eagle Scout badge. Be a steward for North Central Airlines. Buy property at Lake Camelot and make memories. Remove a tick with a cigarette. Marry the perfect girl. Teach your kids how to water ski. Enjoy a cold brewski. Do a cannonball in your pool after work. Start a Pep Club with your friends as an excuse to take trips and party. Teach your kids how to golf. Attend your kids’ and grandkids’ sporting events. Become a volunteer firefighter. Ride your bike to work. Salt the kohlrabi. Dive in the waves at Lake Camelot with your grandchildren. Enjoy another dirty martini with two olives. Buy that convertible. Tell your caregiver how wonderful she is. Shake dice and drink a Brandy Old Fashioned with your father-in-law. Tell women that you are a professional football player to impress them. Swim three miles a week at the YMCA well into your 80s. Add salt to your beer. Enjoy a steak dinner with your wife after the kids are asleep. Have a boatload of kids. And then name your boat “Faster, Grandpa…” Join the Air Force. Eat the Honey Crisp Apple. Be a Badgers Fan. Tell a dirty joke. Throw $20.00 on black. And when fall arrives, order the Pumpkin Shake!

We would like to thank the staff at SSM Hospital, the staff at Fresenius including Dr. Christoph Eggert, the staff at Sun Prairie Senior Living, and the staff at SSM Cardiology including Dr. Benjamin Jordan for your compassionate care through the years.

Memorials may be made to The Boy Scouts of America, SSM Hospice Care or the Madison Elks Lodge. A private family funeral will be held at a later date. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.

Gunderson East

Funeral & Cremation Care

5203 Monona Drive

(608) 221-5420