Carl E. Steele, Jr., of Tulsa, Oklahoma, passed away at the age of 77 in his home on March 8, 2017. Unable to recover from injuries received in a fall, he was surrounded by a loving family.

Carl was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma to the late Carl Steele, Sr. and Dorothy (Adams) Steele on July 16, 1939. He graduated from Will Rogers High School in 1958 and received a BS in Business Administration from Tulsa University in l968. A member of the Air National Guard, his military career was brief when called into active duty during the Berlin crisis. He became a 32nd degree Mason and belonged to the Pilgrim-Rock Lodge No. 522.

He married Martha Carolyn Fears on November 12, 1960 at Yale Avenue Christian Church, Tulsa, and spent his career as an auditor for several oil companies before retiring from Phillips Petroleum Company in 2000.

Statistics, though necessary, hardly tell the story of the heart and soul of a man. Though an ardent football fan, he often remarked how much nicer it was to sit in an air-conditioned auditorium watching his children's many dance recitals and competitions. When his oldest daughter's soccer team lost their coach, he bought a book on the subject, rolled up his sleeves, and for several years went about the sometimes exasperating chore of coaching teenage girls.

Career was important to Carl, but family was the center of his life and he worried about his girls when they left for pom-pom or soccer camp, toured Europe, or departed for college. He became an enthusiastic Delta Zeta Dad for his youngest daughter's sorority, played Santa at Christmas, and each summer organized parents into teams preparing the sorority house for the upcoming year.

Genealogy came into Carl's life in the early 70's with the discovery of his great-great-grandfather's Civil War records among his grandmother's papers. From then on, the search was ongoing, tramping through ancient cemeteries, examining dusty courthouse records, documenting the facts of each ancestor's life, and recording their stories . He delighted in his Scottish ancestry and eventually published the book, Steele, A Gathering of the Clan.

Always partners in life, he was the biggest cheerleader for his wife, Carolyn, in her writing endeavors, acting as her research assistant and planning trips around story locations. Whether it was to tiny towns for exploration or being a typical overseas tourist, travel with Carolyn took on new excitement as he plotted every aspect of being away from home with the usual accountant's accuracy.

Next to being a father, being a grandfather played a very close second when he cuddled his grandsons, Cameron and Cayden, for the first time. Carl looked forward to Sundays when he could pick the boys up after church and take them out to eat, allowing them a vote in the restaurant. They tolerated his teasing and laughed at his "ancient as the hills" jokes. "Don't forget them," he admonished Cameron and Cayden, "so that you can tell them to your grandchildren."

For years he played Santa at Christmas and went to elaborate lengths to appear unannounced and disappear amid a clatter of bells. When Cameron finally recognized the jolly old man with a fake beard, the two collaborated on continuing the deception for Cayden.

A softie at heart, each holiday he planned special gifts for his wife, daughters and mother, or his "girls" as he called them. Just weeks before his passing, despite being paralyzed and in the hospital, he plotted with his daughter for a final Valentine's Day gift for Carolyn.

Carl is survived by his wife, Carolyn, wonderful daughters, Teri Steele of Tulsa, Traci Henderson and son-in-law, Robert, of Owasso, two grandsons that delighted him, Cameron and Cayden Henderson, a beloved brother, Larry Steele, and sister-in-law, Linda, of Longview, Texas, along with niece, Candy Horton, and nephew, Jake Steele, also of Longview, Texas. A niece, Erin Elsperman, resides in Pensacola, Florida. He will be missed and forever remembered.

Visitation will be 1-4 PM, Sunday, March 12, 2017 at Moore's Southlawn, 9350 E. 51st, Tulsa, OK. Funeral service will be 10AM, Monday, March 13, 2017 at Moore's Southlawn Chapel. Moore's Southlawn 918-663-2233