George Brown Steele

George Brown Steele, 80, passed away on Saturday, January 11, 2025, in Lewisburg, PA. George had been a resident of Manheim, PA for 45 years before moving to Lewisburg, PA in 2016.  He was born on November 10th, 1944, in West Chester, PA to George and Eleanor (Brown) Steele.  On July 13, 1968, he married Patrica Anne Mills in Little Britain, PA.

George was predeceased by his wife Patricia Steele, father George Steele, and mother Eleanor Steele. He is survived by his son Eric Steele, his wife Pam (Gehris) and their two children - Molly and Emma - of Mifflinburg, PA; his daughter Sharon (Steele) Will, her husband Paul and their two children - Alex and Cassie - of Ham Lake, MN; brother James Steele of Wilmington, DE; brother Richard Steele, his wife Sandra of Chadds Ford, PA; and a number of nieces and nephews.

George graduated from Delaware Valley College of Science and Agriculture in 1967 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Husbandry. He began his career as an Assistant County Agricultural Agent for Schuylkill County, PA as part of the Cooperative Extension Service of The Pennsylvania State University. He went on to work for Hoffman Seeds, Inc. of Landisville, PA as an Assistant Manager, Custom Farm Seed of Momence, IL as a District Sales Manager, and Hydro/Kirby Agri-Services, Inc. of Lancaster, PA as a Warehouse Manager. He then opened his own small business, Steele Specialty Signs of Manheim, PA, before taking a position with Caterpillar, Inc in York, PA as a Continuous Improvement Facilitator, and a Materials Specialist.  While at Caterpillar, George also trained and qualified as a First Responder and enjoyed being able to use his skills to help others.  

Having been a Boy Scout in his youth, George became involved as a leader in the Boy Scouts of America in the mid-1980’s and remained involved for the next 30 years, holding a variety of roles within the Pennsylvania Dutch Council including Committee Member, Assistant Scoutmaster, Committee Chairman, Unit Commissioner, Roundtable Commissioner, Harvest District Committee member, and Pennsylvania Dutch Council Advancement Committee Member. Through scouting, George received the Arrowhead Award (1997), Commissioner Key (1997), Wood Badge (1998), Commissioner Training Award (1998), District Award of Merit (1999) and received recognition from the College of Commissioner Science, earning a Bachelors (1997), Masters (1998), Doctorate (1999), and a Doctorate Emeritus (2001). He also attended the National Scout Jamboree in 2001, 2005, and 2010 and hiked the Philmont Scout Ranch in 2002. George was also a member of the Throwing Bull Tribe, a service organization for Scouts within the Pennsylvania Dutch Council, and a Brother in the Order of the Arrow, a service organization within Boy Scouts.  George was deeply committed to supporting and guiding youth in their scouting journey, dedicating much of his time and energy to fostering their growth and development.

Family and friends are invited to a memorial service at DellaVecchia, Reilly, Smith & Boyd Funeral Home at 410 N. Church St, West Chester, PA, on Sunday, January 19th.Visitation will be held at 11:00 AM. The memorial service will start at 12:00 PM. Interment will be held in Birmingham Lafayette Cemetery.

The family kindly requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Scouting America, Pennsylvania Dutch Council, 630 Janet Ave, Suite B-114, Lancaster, PA 17601 in George’s memory.