Mr. Leon Steele, 98, a resident of Greensboro, NC since 1934, was born on July 1, 1914, in Harmony, NC to the late Claude Lee Steele and the late Mary Jane Campbell Steele. He was the third of eleven children born to his parents. As a youth Mr. Steele joined Mt. Nebo Baptist Church in Harmony, NC. Mr. Steele attended Houstonville Elementary School (a Rosenwald School, which was a part of the Iredell County, North Carolina Public School System) during the academic years of 1920-1928. In 1936 he was admitted to the Alice Freeman Palmer Memorial Institute (better known as the Palmer Memorial Institute), located in Sedalia, NC, where he earned his high school diploma in 1939. In 1940, Mr. Steele enrolled in North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University (A), where he graduated in 1947 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology. During these years he also worked full-time and served in the United States Navy during World War II. Mr. Steele returned to his alma mater and earned a Master's Degree in Biology in 1957. In 1960 he was granted a sabbatical to conduct graduate studies in biology at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in Tuskegee, Alabama. During the academic year of 1962-63, he was granted another sabbatical to do advanced studies in physical sciences at North Carolina A& T State University in Greensboro. To assist in paying for expenses during his matriculation at the Palmer Memorial Institute, he was employed between 1937 and 1940 as a Route Man by the Buffalo Dairy Company, located in Guilford County, NC. Commencing in the fall of 1947 and continuing through the spring of 1950, Mr. Steele served as a science teacher with the Pender County, NC Public School System. In the fall of 1950, Mr. Steele accepted a position with the Guilford County, NC Public School System, where he was employed at the James B. Dudley High School in Greensboro. Mr. Steele faithfully served as a teacher at Dudley High School in the areas of biology and science until his retirement in 1968. Professionally, Mr. Steele was a member of the National Education Association, the Greensboro North Carolina Science Teachers Association, and the National Association of Biology Teachers. He was preceded in death by six of his siblings, Clinne Steele, Cordia Mae Steele-Steele, Esther Lene Steele Vines, Fred Steele, Lottie Ruth Steele Carson, Genevieve Steele Morrison; one godson, Tony Leon Gibbs. On Tuesday, July 31st, 2012, our heavenly Father, in his infinite wisdom and divine love, called Mr. Leon 'Onnie' Steele to a place of eternal rest. He is survived by two sisters, Mrs. Susan E. Steele (the late Otto Columbus) Campbell, and Mrs. Ann D. Steele (Johhny) McKee, of Baltimore, MD; two brothers, Mr. Henry Wm. Steele of Baltimore, MD, and Billy Ralph Steele of Harmony; a host of other relatives and friends including Mr. & Mrs. Leon Gibbs, and Thomasena Gantt. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Leon Steele please visit our Sympathy Store. Cemetery Details Mt. Nebo Baptist Church Cemetery Harmony, NC, Visitation AUG 4. 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM (EDT) Mt. Nebo Baptist Church Harmony, NC Service AUG 4. 4:00 PM (EDT) Mt. Nebo Baptist Church Harmony, NC