Uncle Bill Remembers Bob Steele

Aunt Estelle

Uncle Bob Steele

Charles and Nell

Uncle Bill's Memories
Uncle Bob and Aunt Estelle Steele

Today's flashback memories is a story that Uncle Bill sent to me in January of 2017. This story talks about his Uncle Bob Steele (Great Grandma Nell's older brother) and his Aunt Estelle.

You may recall in an earlier blog posting that Bob Steele's first wife Loretta died suddenly at age 27. Bob and Nell's father Eugene Moore Steele was getting up in years living on his own. Although, Bob and his daughters Lenore and Geraldine were living with him at the time, an additional caretaker was needed to cook and clean. That ended up being Estelle in 1910 and three years later she and Bob were married!

SAN FRANCISCO CALL MARRIAGE ANNOUNCEMENT

DATED JUNE 28 1913

Over the years at Christmas, I have given Uncle Bill some albums of photos taken by me - the semi amateur photographer as well as photos from my ancestry collection. One album I had given him spurred some wonderful memories as you will read below.

The Steele Brothers, Arthur, Vincent,Robert Steele (jr) with glasses and their dad Bob

Steele Brothers Robert Jr, Arthur &Vincent

Estelle and Nell

"Son Robert was either a merchant seaman or in the US Navy during WWII. After the war he too worked for Matson lines. His last position was as a purser on their freighters to and from Hawaii. He was laid off sometime in the 1960's as the shipping industry pretty much collapsed in San Francisco. He was never married, as he was a gay man-not generally known in the family, but something he talked about to me shortly after Nora and I were married and I was finishing up college at UC Berkeley. He filled the role of the dutiful Irish Catholic bachelor son, staying at home and caring for his parents (and drinking alcoholically). As you know, he outlived his father and his mother.Estelle died on September 26 in 1968 and his father Robert on June 25, 1957. Robert Jr died on October 26 in 1970.

"Son Art was indeed also employed by Matson lines, and he was one of the last captains of the famous Lurline, their premier passenger liner. He was very much married and the father of 2 or 3 children (current research on this pending). If I am not mistaken, his wife's name was Mildred/Milly and they lived somewhere in the East Bay, maybe Concord? I seem to remember one of his sons being named David. (Aunt Stell-as we called her-was not crazy about Milly, as she was Jewish, 'tho converted to Catholicism to marry Art).

"Son Vincent, as you have recorded, entered the religious life as a Brother in the Society of Mary (also known as Marianists). He was quite successful, becoming principal of San Francisco's Riordan High School and then as principal of another school in Hawaii. He was a fun, joking gregarious man who I remember being especially close to Auntie Eleanor. I have very vivid memories of Robert and Vince, but none of Art. If I ever met Art, I don't remember."

I've created a gallery of Vincen's various year book images I was able to find of Vincent from the 1950's-1980's. His teachings in both basic studies as well as religion were done at Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco, Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo as well as Saint Louis School in Honolulu Hawaii. Vincent was not only knowledgeable in many subjects but also a great leader in helping students with the library and their annual year book publications.