In Memoriam

Pete Steele, BSc’50

Peter SteelePeter was born on January 11, 1926, near Vermillion, AB. Peter served in the RCAF, including a brief stint in England at the end of WWII. He was in England on VE Day and in Vancouver on VJ Day. After graduating from UBC, he went on to earn a master’s in agriculture at Washington State College (now Washington State University), eventually moving to Seattle and becoming a US citizen. He worked for 34 years at Carnation Fresh Milk and Ice Cream Company, holding positions such as quality control director and milk plant superintendent. Peter met his sweetheart, Mary Jane Ferguson, at a Skandia folk dance and they married on July 9, 1960. An avid mountain climber with the Washington Alpine Club and Mountaineers, Peter summited every major peak in Washington and Oregon. After taking the Mountaineer climbing course, Peter and some friends started the Washington Alpine Course, which still exists today. He was a dedicated skier and instructor for years before serving 15 years on the volunteer ski patrol at Ski Acres and achieving National status. At the age of 86, he hosted his extended family at Sun Peaks Resort in BC and skied five days in a row. He thoroughly enjoyed folk, round, and square dancing. He and MJ camped first with a tarp, then a tent, a 19 ft. tent trailer for 17 years, and then a 29 ft. fifth wheel trailer for 23 years. He always had projects in his shop, tinkering with mechanical/electrical inventions. After living a fulfilling life, Peter passed away June 29, 2015, surrounded by his loving family. He is survived by Mary Jane; his sister, Barbara McGillvray; daughters Dana (Michael) Korch and Diane (Dick) Sine; son David (Danielle); and his adoring grandchildren Benjamin, Elena, and Annalise Korch, Tara and Emmett Steele, Kim McKeown, and Michael and Stephen Sine.