Abram "A.B." Burns Steen was born on July 21, 1929, in the town of Harvey, Illinois. A.B. later moved with his family to Warner, Oklahoma, where he grew up until his family moved to Tulsa in 1944 to support the war effort. His mother worked at Douglas Aircraft, and his father worked at BSB Machine Tool. As a teenager, A.B. both worked to support his family and attended Tulsa Central High School. A.B. graduated in 1946 before going on to attend Connors State College in Muskogee and transferring on a sports scholarship to Panhandle State University, where he excelled both academically and athletically, majoring in Math, and lettering in four varsity sports-basketball, football, baseball, and track. Self-described as "165 lbs soaking wet," A.B. was admitted to the PSU sports hall of fame in 2016.

At PSU, he fell in love with the homecoming queen, Gwendolyn Goff, and the two were married on December 23, 1950, before moving to the town of Liberal, Kansas, where A.B. taught school and coached Basketball. The next year, in 1951, A.B. joined the Air Force, where he was assigned to the Aleutian Islands as an Air Traffic Controller during the Korean War. After two years in Alaska, he was transferred to Andrews Air Force Base in Washington D.C. At Andrews, he and Gwen welcomed their first child, Michael Charles Steen in 1953. After being honorably discharged as a Staff Sergeant, A.B. returned to Tulsa. He worked as an engineer designing drilling rigs for Lee C. Moore Drilling Company while attending night school at the University of Tulsa to study engineering. A.B. and Gwen welcomed their second son, Kenneth Alan Steen in 1955.

In 1960, A.B. accepted a position with T.D. Williamson, where he would spend the rest of his career. A.B. and Gwen welcomed their third son, Ronald Keith Steen, in 1961. By 1963, A.B.'s talent for leadership led T.D. Williamson to ask him to start their European manufacturing operations. A.B. and Gwen moved their family to England, where they remained for four years, before moving to Belgium in 1968 to open another operations center, before finally moving back to Tulsa in 1972.

Outside of work, A.B. lived a rich life filled with faith, family, service, and sport. As a devout Christian, A.B. provided guidance, wisdom, and comfort as a prominent member of Asbury United Methodist Church's congregation. He was an avid golfer, and after retiring as T.D. Williamson's Chairman and CEO in 1997, you could find him nearly every morning at 7 a.m. teeing off on the first hole at the Tulsa Country Club. His passions also included spending time with his six grandchildren at his country home in Mounds, OK, where they would fish, shoot clays, play pool, and eat numerous Coney I-Lander chili dogs. He named the farm "Sugar Nan," after A.B.'s Air Force call sign.

Even in retirement, A.B.'s gift of leadership led him to leadership positions as a prominent supporter of Alzheimer's research, President of the Tulsa Country Club, board member of Tulsa Goodwill Industries, the United Way, Chamber of Commerce, and the Boy Scouts, receiving the Silver Beaver award-the highest and most prestigious distinguished service honor a local council of the Boy Scouts of America can present to an adult volunteer. As a lifelong sports fan, A.B. followed both the Dallas Cowboys and St. Louis Cardinals, and he never missed a chance to watch them play.

A.B. Steen passed away peacefully on June 6, 2026, aged 96, surrounded by his friends and loved ones. He was preceded in death by his parents Charlie and Lahoma, sister Louise, beloved wife, Gwendolyn, and his eldest son, Michael. He lived a life of leadership, service, and integrity, and will always be remembered for his generosity, intelligence, and incredible sense of humor.

He is survived by his two sons, Kenneth and Ronald, six grandchildren, Nicole Marie Steen, Phillip Charles Steen, Paul Joseph Steen, Nicholas William Steen, Ryan Christopher Steen, and Jennifer Suzanne Leddy, and thirteen great-grandchildren. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him.