Patricia C. Steele

Patricia Coles Steele, age 101, passed away on August 1, 2024. She was born in Moffat County, Colorado on May 9, 1923, to Russell H. and Catherine C. Coles.

Pat grew up on the western slope of Colorado, and never let her family forget it. She regaled us all with stories of the ranch near Craig where she spent most of her youth. She continued to read the fine print of the Craig Dailey Press, even identifying who owned mineral rights, and was still planning one final trip to ‘the ranch.’ During World War II Pat moved to Washington, DC, to take a job with the Red Cross. While completing her associate’s degree in accounting at George Washington University Ira Steele, a Teaching Assistant in one of her courses, asked her out on a date as soon as she had finished his course. She and Ira were married in November 1947, and they raised their family in northern Virginia.

Pat called herself a “bean counter,” although she was involved in too many activities to count. Dear to her heart were the Pink Elephant (a thrift store), PEO (a philanthropic educational organization for women), the League of Women Voters, and any mom-and-pop outfit who needed someone do their books and file their taxes. Over the years she took up golf and bridge, which she enjoyed immensely both before and after moving to Austin, Texas in 1985. Pat fell in love with living in Austin, and developed many friendships with her neighbors and PEO sisters that would last the rest of her life. She and Ira also took time to travel and explore, from car trips using the National Golf Discount Card to expansive trips around the world to places like Tibet, Vietnam, and the Soviet Union.

Shortly after Ira passed in 2012, Pat moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. Although saddened to leave Austin behind, she was happy to be closer to family and have a short trip to her beloved ranch in Craig. Pat’s love of the stock market flourished in her later years, and she would often pour over her hand-kept stock ledgers and explain her time-tested investment strategies to her grandkids. She spent her last few years under the loving and wonderful care provided by the staff at Sunrise Senior Living and Inspiration Hospice, until she was granted her final wish to simply ‘go to sleep one day and not wake up.’

Pat is predeceased by her husband, Ira, and her son, Jeffrey. She leaves behind her daughter-in-law, Kathy, of Boise, Idaho, daughter, Barbara (David) Viskochil of Salt Lake City, and four grandchildren; Amy Steele and Matthew Steele of Seattle, Washington, Richard Viskochil of Boston, Massachusetts, and Joseph (Kayla) Viskochil of Aumsville, Oregon. She is also survived by two great-grandchildren, Hadley Grace Viskochil and Holden Paul Viskochil of Aumsville, Oregon.

A remembrance of Pat will be held at Fort Sam Houston Cemetery, San Antonio, Texas at a future date. In lieu of flowers, please donate to your favorite charity. If none comes to mind, please consider a donation to the PEO Sisterhood or Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue, two charities that may not have a lot in common but were both near and dear to Pat’s heart.