Sydney L. Steele

A loving husband, father, grandfather, a passionate and devoted lawyer, and friend of many, Syd died peacefully on Wednesday, May 26, 2021. He was 81.

He was generous, caring, kind, fun loving, a fierce advocate for truth in the courtroom, a patient mentor, industrious, dedicated, determined; there are not enough adjectives to describe the beauty of Syd's character.

His death occurred after a short battle with COVID-19 and the complications that developed. He was surrounded by loved ones and exceptional caregivers from Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis.

Syd was born in Martinsville, Indiana on September 6th, 1939, to Charles and Eliza Henrietta “Pat” Steele. He spent his early days around the family lumber mill and learned hard work hauling logs. He attended Martinsville High School where he ran high hurdles in track and played the lead role of Peter Marshall in a play called “A Man Called Peter.” He was extremely popular, funny, smart and the life of the party, graduating in 1958.

He went on to Purdue University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1961. At Purdue, he was a member of Phi Delta Theta and Pi Tau Sigma fraternities and president of the Senior Class. He remained close to many of his Purdue classmates throughout his life. Following Purdue, he obtained his Doctor of Jurisprudence from Indiana University School of Law, Bloomington, Indiana where he met the love of his life, his beautiful wife Pam (who preceded him in death).

The two lovebirds married on September 20, 1964 in Becks Chapel on the Bloomington campus. In December, with Syd a newly commissioned Army officer, they left the US, spending three wonderful and exciting years in Germany. While there, Syd attained the rank of Captain and the two of them traveled and camped throughout Europe, returning to Indiana in 1967 with two small children and a cuckoo clock.

Syd and his young family were driving north on 1-65 toward Chicago, where a job awaited Syd, when they decided Indiana was to be their home.They turned around and drove back to Indianapolis. Since 1968 Pam and Syd have been a part of the Indianapolis community, living first in the Meridian-Kessler neighborhood and then for over three decades in their home near Park Tudor School.

Syd and Pam spent years skiing in Colorado with friends and family, frequenting their mountain home in Breckenridge, Colorado. Syd loved the mountains, but had a very special place in his heart for Indiana, where he could observe the changes in the season and hold lively conversations with his many friends. But most of all, Syd loved and enjoyed life with his wife Pam, and then after her passing, his three children and five grandchildren.

A 1964 graduate of Indiana University School of Law at Bloomington, Indiana, his legal accomplishments were many. He co-founded Lowe Gray Steele & Darko in 1970 and in 2003 he joined Kroger Gardis & Regas LLP as Senior Counsel and Partner, where he practiced law until his passing. He was a brilliant lawyer and zealous advocate for his clients, many of whom became lifelong friends. His professionalism served as an example to his colleagues and adversaries alike.

To foster camaraderie and a deeper understanding of the law, he co-founded the Indianapolis Law Club in 1982, an association of experienced litigation attorneys who meet regularly to stay current on developing legal matters. Syd was designated a distinguished attorney fellow by the Indianapolis Bar Foundation, and in 2019, the year he attained 50 years of service in the Bar, he was awarded the Distinguished Barrister Award by the Indiana Lawyer. He was admitted to the Bar in Indiana, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.

But as important as his legal accomplishments were, people remember most that he was a fantastically good person. His enthusiasm spread far beyond the legal community. He served as president and a board member of the Columbia Club and the Big Brothers of Central Indiana, and was a member of the board and an officer of the Center for Leadership Development (CLD), an organization founded to encourage and prepare minority youths for college, leadership and excellence. He was awarded the “Henry Bundles Award for Service” for his commitment to CLD. The National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners awarded Syd its highest honor, the Santucci Award, for nearly three decades of service.

Syd is survived by his children, John William Steele, Susan (Steele) Marshall and her husband David Marshall, and Elizabeth "Betsy" (Steele) Basile, grandchildren, Taylor Sydney Steele, John "Jack" Steele Marshall, Adeline Pamela Steele Basile, Charles Woods Marshall and Saress Elizabeth Virginia Marshall, as well as his sister Jane (Steele) Harvey and sister-in-law Valerie (Wasson) Blom. He will be dearly missed by each of them, and the many friends he leaves behind.

The calling is at the Leppert Mortuary - Nora Chapel, 740 E. 86th Street, on Friday, June 4th, from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. Due to limited capacity, a small private celebratory service for Syd will be held the following day.

You are invited to visit www.leppertmortuary.com where you may share a memory with the family, sign the guest book, or in lieu of flowers, Syd’s family would appreciate contributions on his behalf to the Indiana University Maurer School of Law Sydney and Pamela Steele Scholarship (Bloomington), P.O. Box 500, Bloomington, Indiana 47902, the Center for Leadership Development, 2425 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street, Indianapolis, IN 46208, or to another volunteer organization of your choice supporting the Indianapolis community.

Syd was irreplaceable, one of a kind, a true original.

Peace and Love. Peace and Love.