William Edward Bill Steele

William Edward "Bill" Steele, age 60, of Livingston, passed away suddenly of natural causes on Monday, August 17, 2015 at his home. A Celebration of Bills Life will be held 2:00 P.M., Saturday, September 12, at the Franzen-Davis Funeral Home (118 North 3rd Street) in Livingston. We will have a time of sharing so please bring your favorite story of Bill to share. The service will be followed by coffee and cake fellowship. Bill was born in Bozeman, MT, on October 18, 1954, to William J. and Ruth M. Steele. He was known by family and friends from childhood, as "Butch". He attended Bozeman Schools, graduating Bozeman Senior High School in 1973; and Montana State University in 1981 with a B.S. in Business Marketing. Bill was a Cub Scout and Boy Scout, and often enjoyed using his scouting skills hiking into the back country and camping out with his friends. He traveled to the West Coast to attend one of the World Scouting Jamborees. During his high school years, Bill worked a number of jobs, including mowing lawns, stacking hay, selling fruit at a fruit stand and working at a car wash. He also assisted an MSU graduate student banding Red-Tailed Hawks by climbing trees to retrieve the hawk chicks. He later worked with a track-laying crew on the Burlington Northern Railroad. Bill and his father fished and hunted together for many years. They dragged the Missouri River for Paddlefish and took a trip to Canada to catch Northern Pike. Bill learned to be an expert marksman and accomplished hunter from his father. He was 15 when he bagged his first Moose. He also hunted trophy deer, elk, wild turkeys, and filled a permit for a Buffalo (Bison) when the National Park Service was culling the Bison herds in Yellowstone National Park. Bill was also interested in watching animals, including deer and wild turkeys in the yard at the ranch and songbirds on the birdfeeders. He was concerned about preserving the environment. He promoted many conservation easements in his work. Before settling down in college, Bill and a friend drove a brand-new Ford Mustang over the then unpaved Al-Can Highway from Bozeman to Anchorage, AK, and back again. After college, he moved to Livingston where he was first affiliated with L&L Real Estate. After obtaining his Brokers License, he formed his own business, Ranch Montana Real Estate, with emphasis on ranch and recreation properties. Bill could often be seen driving around town with his Beagle in the front seat looking out the side window. Bill was preceded in death by his father and his much-loved Beagles, Jake and Cooper. His is survived by his mother, Ruth, and his sister, Lynda Kay Steele both of Bozeman. Bill is also survived by an Uncle and Aunt in Billings, an Aunt in Florida, extended family Ashley Jane Holland of Livingston and many cousins. Should friends desire, memorials may be made to the Extra School Lunch Money Fund, C/O Whittier Elementary School, 511 North Fifth Ave; Bozeman, MT 59715 (Bill was an "alumnus" of Whittier), or the Heart of the Valley Animal Shelter, 1549 East Cameron Bridge Road; Bozeman, MT 59718, or Colmey Veterinary Hospital, 5288 Highway 89 S.; Livingston, MT 59047, the beagles vet, to help pet parents defray the cost of pet care; or to the charity of the donors choice. Arrangements are under the care of Franzen-Davis Funeral Home and Crematory in Livingston