Lacy Steele

Obituary of Lacy Steele

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Reflections of Life Lacy Steele was born December 3, 1931, in Detroit, Michigan, to the late William Steele, Sr. and Marie Steele (Craig). He was the youngest of four children. He was educated in the Detroit Public Schools and a proud graduate of Sydney Miller High School, Class of 1950. Lacy was also a graduate of the Electronics Institute in Detroit, Michigan. He met and married the former Dorothy Lou Johnson on June 22, 1952. He was her “paperboy.” To this union they had an only child, daughter Marché Deon Steele Heath. A proud veteran of the United States Army, with the rank of Sergeant, Lacy served during the Korean War. He relocated to Seattle, Washington in 1959 after being recruited by the Boeing Company in the Electronics/Electrical Laboratory. At Boeing, Lacy worked his way up the corporate ladder to become the first African American to obtain the position of Manager of Defense & Space Group, Quality Organization. He retired after 38 years in 1997. Lacy had served as an instructor for solicitors for the Boeing Good Neighbor Fund. This fund is a large contributor to the United Way of King County, which serves the needy in many communities. Dedicating his life to the community, Lacy began his affiliation with the Seattle National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1960 with membership solicitation and had consistently secured over 100 memberships each year. A Golden Heritage Life Member and charter member of the Thousandaire Club, Lacy served as President of the Seattle Branch for 26 years and served on the NAACP National Board of Directors for over 18 years. Another one of Lacy’s accomplishments as president of the Seattle Branch NAACP was leading the fight to desegregate the Seattle Public Schools. This was accomplished through skillful negotiation without a court battle. He served on the NAACP Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological, and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) Committee, a program for African American students grades 9-12, which stresses academics. He served both locally and nationally on ACT-SO committees. In 2000, Lacy received the Nordstrom Salute to Cultural Diversity Community Service Award. This honor recognized individuals who made positive strides toward better cultural understanding through their volunteer and extracurricular activities in the Puget Sound area. An interesting fact is that Lacy was instrumental in having not only a street named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr in the Seattle area, but was able with the assistance of others to have an entire county in the state of Washington named after Dr. King (Martin Luther King County). Voter’s registration was extremely important to Lacy. He would often stand in grocery store parking lots, libraries, and post offices to encourage citizens to exercise their right to vote. He literally registered thousands of people to vote in local, state, and national elections over many years. Lacy was often called upon by the news media for town hall meetings and talk shows to share his years of experience and insight on civil rights issues. He also negotiated with corporations and elected officials to use qualified minority vendors in their operations. Worldwide, Lacy volunteered to co-chair a group of organizations and citizens that raised over $70,000 for food for the hungry and deprived people of Somalia. He was also chosen to serve as an observer in the South African elections. Seattle was selected as one of the cities on the West Coast where South African citizens living in America could cast their ballots. This was the election that elected Mr. Nelson Mandela as South African President. His volunteer activities for over 40 years in the Puget Sound area and the nation in general have enhanced the lives of many citizens directly and indirectly across the world. Lacy and Dorothy Steele were active in programs and the life of the church at Seattle’s First African Methodist Episcopal Church. He was an active member of The Brotherhood, a Monday morning men’s prayer group for over 20 years, on the Trustee Board for several years, and had served in various leadership capacities. In 2022, Lacy and his wife celebrated 72 years of marriage in Southern New Jersey where they had moved to be closer to his daughter and family. He resided there until he went to be with the Lord on May 20, 2025. Lacy was preceded in death by his siblings, William Steele, Andrew John Steele, and Geraldine Anna Shamblin. He was admired by many and leaves behind his loving wife, Dorothy Lou Johnson Steele, daughter Marché Steele Heath and her husband Phillip Walker Heath, grandson, Joshua David Heath, granddaughter-in-law Krystalee Suyapa Heath, a dear great-grandson Kayson Joshua Heath, beloved godson Jordan Riley Paine, nephews Michael Steele (Portia), Gregory Paul Hans, nieces, Andreen Monk (Donnie), Marnita Dickerson (Timothy), Alicia Lurry (Alan), Wanda Shamblin, Violetta Spady and a host of family members and friends. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial gifts be made to organizations that were close to Lacy Steele’s heart: Gloucester County NAACP P.O. Box 545, Williamstown, NJ 08094 www.gloucestercountynaacp.org and/or Samaritan The Samaritan Gift Processing Center, P.O. Box 71425, Philadelphia PA 19176-1425 www.SamaritanNJ.org
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Saturday
31
May

Memorial Service

11:00 am
Saturday, May 31, 2025
Samaritan Center
265 Rte 73
Voorhees, New Jersey, United States
856-335-4600
Memorial Service will be held in the Voorhees Community Education Center
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Lacy Steele

In Loving Memory

Lacy Steele

1931 - 2025

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