Toni Steele

Toni Kathleen Steele, beloved mother, wife, grandmother, mother-in-law, aunt and dear friend passed away on September 9, 2025.

Mom was born on October 8, 1947 in Hot Springs, Arkansas, adopted by Monroe Power and Jessie (McKinley) Power. She grew up in Arkansas, moving to Brownsville, Texas as an adult, where she met and married Jimmy Steele. In 1980, they moved to Center, Texas where she raised her sons, Anthony and Andrew. She often welcomed her sons' friends, cooked her famous Mexican casserole for them and treated them like family. Mom worked with Dad as a bookkeeper in their accounting practice, and spent many hours on their family farm. Upon their retirement, Mom and Dad made their home in Athens, Texas.

Mom served faithfully in the church throughout her life and was a member of Wesley United Methodist Church in Athens, Texas. She loved to serve others, and even in her final weeks, she would bring treats to the local Athens fire station after church. She always joked that she didn't mind stopping by each week because they were "nice to look at." Her sense of humor kept us chuckling quite a bit.

Mom was a born caregiver and lived most of her days caring for others in countless ways. She wanted others to feel loved and valued so she made that a priority in her life. She also hand-made a custom quilt for each new baby born into our whole extended family and for every couple to celebrate their marriage. Dozens of family members experienced her love through these hand stitched quilts they received from her. We will cherish these always.

Mom enjoyed sewing, crocheting, quilting, and reading until far too late at night. If she was in the middle of a good book, chances are, she was going to finish it by morning. She also loved Star Trek and had watched and rewatched nearly every Star Trek show and movie made.

She and Dad got bit by the genealogy bug after they retired, capturing as much as possible of our family's genealogy. They created extensive records from hundreds of years back, and they helped friends doing research of their own. She would often speak about digging up information on the "inlaws and outlaws" in our family tree and loved solving mysteries about our ancestors.

Later in life, Mom got to travel twice to her beloved Scotland. She had never flown in her life until 2019, when she decided to visit Scotland for the first time. Her first flight would take her halfway around the world, and when she returned, she shared with everyone all the pictures she took, especially the hundreds of pictures of rocks and sheep. She made us promise to one day take a trip to see this land she adored. We are going to do our best to fulfill that.

Our Mom also liked to talk. It would be hard to find someone who liked to talk more than her. Often she would share a story with you multiple times, even if you reminded her that you'd heard it once or twice before! We now know these stories backwards and forwards and can continue to share them.

Mom loved all kinds of animals and spent countless hours with Anthony and Becky at their ranch, where she got to "love on" their animals, feed donkeys and horses, rave about Becky's cooking, and drink the occasional margarita. She held a special place in her heart for her dogs, Penny and Max. She also loved her grandkids and tried to keep up with their busy lives, see their games or shows, and celebrate their milestones. She loved to throw a history or genealogy lesson at them too when she could sneak it in. One day at a family dinner at Cotton Patch, she gave each of them a copy of the same history book, made them turn to a certain page and read it out loud, right there in the restaurant. These are precious memories we hold dear.

Mom was a strong woman who loved living independently and taking care of herself. If you became friends with her, you became friends with her for life. She will be deeply missed by us and many others.

Toni is preceded in death by her husband, Jimmy L. Steele; her sister, Billie Bobbie Wheeler; brother, Mike Carter; sister-in-law, Doris Steele; brother-in-law, Donald Steele; and nephews Patrick Conly and Tim Conly.

She is survived by her sons, Anthony Steele and wife Becky Meehan, and Andrew Steele and wife Tricia; her grandchildren, Jack and wife Taylor, Jenna, Jason, and Jessie. She is also survived by her sisters-in-law, Dolores Schaefer and Donnie Carter; her nephew Mike Sullivan, many other beloved nieces and nephews; and her sweet dog, Max.

Service will be held on Sunday, September 14, 2025, at 2:00 PM at Wesley United Methodist Church, 3606 FM 753, Athens, TX 75751

Final interment will take place at Athens Cemetery in Athens, Texas.