- 1975, Thursday September 11, The Almonte Gazette page 9
?b?John Arthur Steele Passes?/b?
After funeral services in Ottawa, John Arthur Steele (Art) was interred at the Auld Kirk Cemetery, Almonte, September 4th. Mr Steele was born in 1894 on the Steele Century Farm, 8th line, Ramsay Township, the son of John Steele and Amy Coulter, and grandson of a Scot who came to Ramsay in the 1820's. Mr Steele always had great affection for Almonte and its people. Mr Steele leaves his wife, Laura McGregor, formerly of Pakenham; five daughters, Aileen, Amy (Mrs Robert Kempster) and Patricia, all of Ottawa; Joan (Mrs Humfry Peake), of England; Dr Marion Steele of Guelph; a son, Dr John Steele of Ottawa; two sisters, Louise of Cobourg and Beth (Mrs Hal Kirkland) of Almonte; a brother, Ernest of Toronto. He was predeceased by a sister, May and brothers Alex and James. After graduating from Almonte High School he entered the Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph. He, together with his comrade, the late Hal Kirkland, enlisted in the First University Corps which in July 1915 reinforced the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. After the war, he again attended the O.A.C.; later at Iowa State College he received his M.Sc. In 1920 Mr Steele joined the staff of the Soldier Settlement Board, working in British Columbia and Alberta. Later he served as a dairy promoter in Ontario and organized cow testing associations in Quebec. In 1925 he joined the livestock branch of the Canadian Department of Agriculture as a livestock fieldman for Nova Scotia. He is fondly remembered by many farmers and former Calf Club members there, where he introduced such then-new procedures as artificial insemination. In 1946 he returned to the Ottawa Valley on his appointment as assistant chief registration officer. In 1960 when he retired he was head of the Record of Performance, cattle section, of the livestock division. After his retirement he contributed articles to the Family Herald and other farm journals commenting on such subjects as the valuation system for farm price of milk. Mr Steele was a member of the Mason, the Canadian Legion, the Agricultural Institute of Canada and the O.A.C. Alumni. From the O.A.C. year book of 1920, the following quotation reveals aspects of Art which endeared him to so many: "In the spring of 1915 he took a trip to the Old Country with the P.P.C.L.I. serving with them until demobilized in 1919. While in France his thoughts wandered back to the old orchard on the farm upon seeing a pear tree some short distance from the trenches, and his fondness for pears was responsible for him being the object of an enemy sniper. However, Art got the pears and cheated the sniper of the coveted notch in he but of his rifle. Later, however, he selected an enemy bullet more to his liking and took a trip to the hospital areas. While convalescing, Paris claimed his attention and by the time he returned to his unit he could say, "Oui, la la." At the college many humourous sayings have originated in Art's cortex. He hold the record for breaking chemical apparatus, his bank account and monotony. To art all life's troubles are soluble in a grin and we expect to find him growing two turnips where one grew before, when he returns to agricultural life."
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1894 - 1975 (81 years)
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