Margaret Steele

Margaret “Marge” J. Steele, 91, Bismarck, died April 19, 2009, at Missouri Slope Lutheran Care Center, Bismarck. Services will be held at 1:00 pm Thursday at McCabe United Methodist Church, Bismarck, with Rev. Art Scanson officiating. Burial will be held at Sunset Memorial Gardens, Bismarck. Visitation will be held from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm Wednesday at Eastgate Funeral Service, Bismarck. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church. Marge was born June 17, 1917, in Winner, SD, the daughter of Roscoe and Clara Brown Knodell. After completing high school in Winner, she attended Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, SD. Upon completing her studies there, she moved to Pierre, SD. While working in Pierre, she met C. Patton Steele, whom she wed on September 7, 1939. In the early years of their marriage, Pat and Marge lived in Pierre and Vermillion, SD. They moved to Bismarck in 1944. Their daughter, Susan, was born in Vermillion, SD, and Mary Lee was born in Bismarck. At times during her marriage, Marge was employed by the ND Highway Department, Lion Oil Company, and Star Drilling. Her preference was to be at home taking care of her family, which she did very well. Marge was close to her immediate and extended family members. She had many good friends and cherished the time she spent with them. In 1980, Pat retired as Director of the Division of Laboratories of the State Department of Health. They moved to Brooksville, FL, where they resided for seven years. Living in Florida had been a long-time retirement dream and they enjoyed those years. In August 1987, they moved to Raleigh, NC, where their daughter, Susan was living. Pat died in a car accident in September 1988. Marge continued to live there until a year after Susan’s death, returning to Bismarck in 1996. Upon her return to Bismarck, she was able to resume friendships with many of the people she was saddened to leave behind when she moved to Florida. She traveled to visit friends and family in Raleigh and Hawaii. She was able to attend three family reunions in Minneapolis, which were very special for her, and often accompanied Mary Lee to Fargo when she had meetings there. Marge was a member of the McCabe United Methodist Church. She had belonged to PEO chapters in Bismarck, Spring Hill, FL, and Raleigh, NC. Marge had spent the past 4 ½ years at the Waterford before moving this month into Missouri Slope Lutheran Care Center. Marge is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Mary Lee Steele and Monte Boren, Bismarck; two brothers, William Knodell, Rapid City, SD, and Robert Knodell, Minneapolis, MN; two sisters, Dorothy McCarl, Palm Springs, CA, and Alice Wes Craven, McMinnville, OR; her grandsons, Kyle Kelly Retzlaff, Atkinson, IL, and Pat Retzlaff, Omaha, NE; her granddaughter, Kris John Parker; her step grandchildren, Eric Maria Boren, Devils Lake, ND, John Sheryl Lembcke Boren, Hampton, VA, Chris Boren, Chewelah, WA, Jerry Kelly Boren, Williamsburg, VA, and Julie Trent Hardy, Washougal, WA; seven great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, C. Patton Steele; her daughter, Susan Retzlaff; her parents, Roscoe and Clara Knodell; two nephews, William Knodell and Mark Craven; as well as several dear friends.

Margaret Steele

June 17, 1917 - April 19, 2009