of The Outlook for his regular column "Tuesday Morning" written by him since February 1985.
From early childhood he was encouraged to compose a poem with each Christmas present. Before he was able to write, Dave dictated:
Roses are red, violets are blue
Here are some socks I bought for you.
The son and grandson of Presbyterian pastors, David remembered his home life and wrote:
The Sons of the Prophets
Some of us have had the chance
Of growing up inside a manse.
We got advice that then seemed ample
On how to set a good example.
We squirmed inside our Sunday suit
When Dad related something cute
That we had thought or said or done,
To illustrate point number one.
Born in Pittsburgh, he graduated from Westminster College (Utah) and Princeton Seminary. He earned a doctorate from San Francisco Seminary after writing a thesis entitled, “Theology With Ogden Nash.”
He served congregations in Darlington, Md., Salt Lake City and San Rafael, Calif. He was a school chaplain in Honolulu from 1965 to 1978. He recalled his life-long habit of trusting church people and having fun with his co-workers.
Dave wrote five books: poetry, church drama and team sermons. His humor and innovative style are displayed in titles like Slow Down, Moses and The Next Voice You Hear: Sermons We Preach Together. As a writer he sought to “tell the biblical story in contemporary idiom.”
In a poem entitled “There is a Lad Here. . .” Dave confessed,
I wish I were a hero,
A martyr or a saint,
But so far I’m batting zero
For my life is rather quaint. . .
No, the earth will not be shaken
By an act of mine, not nary.
For unless I am mistaken
I am rather ordinary.
An “ordinary” man by his estimate, he became a celebrity among Presbyterians for his kindly wit and wisdom. At their 2001 luncheon, the Presbyterian Writers Guild gave him a standing ovation. Barrie Shepherd paid tribute to Dave, a former president of the Guild: “[T]heologian of life, bringer of laughter and of tears, keeper of hope and joy in our presbyterian tradition, . . . we thank God for the gifts so freely shared through your words, your ministry and your life. God bless you, David.”
David is survived by his wife of 48 years, Joan, by sons Mark and Andrew, four grandchildren and his brother Jim, a pastor in Englewood, N.J.
The swans on the lake near the Steele home in Sun City, Ariz, will need to be fed by another, but the kindly ministry of R. David Steele will live into eternity. In Dave’s manner, we might affirm that Our Creator, surely had a twinkle in his eye as he said to a faithful servant, “Well done.”
posted Aug. 29, 2001
Dale Robb is a retired Presbyterian minister living in Urbana, Ill.
A compilation of David Steele’s “Tuesday Morning” columns is being produced by the Presbyterian Writers’ Guild under the direction of its current president, Kathy Bostrom.
