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Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
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Joseph Lee Steepleton
Joseph Lee Steepleton
Austin, Minnesota
A native of Cedar Rapids, Joseph Lee Steepleton passed peacefully at Our Lady of Peace Hospice in St. Paul, MN on January 17, 2024. A memorial service and celebration of life will be held Saturday, April 27, 2024, beginning at 11 AM until 2 PM, at the Knights of Columbus Hall at 1620 E Avenue NE.
Joe was born on April 29, 1949, in Vinton, IA to Mahlon and Frances Steepleton. He graduated first from LaSalle High School and then Western Illinois University in Macomb, IL, where he met the love of his life, a fiery redhead named Maureen. Joe and Maureen married on June 26, 1971. They welcomed their daughter, Amanda, to their lives in March 1985, as Joe was finishing his Master of Arts in administration at Loras College in Dubuque. Over the course of a nearly 40-year career, Joe served as both a teacher and administrator for Catholic schools, including as principal of his alma mater, LaSalle High School, until its close in 1998. In 2011, after many moves together, Joe and Maureen finally landed in Austin, MN, closer to Amanda. Later in life, Joe found a new vocation and joy in writing. To date, he has 26 published novels, which can all be found on Amazon.
In his last months, Joe expressed no fear of death and said he had no regrets. True to form, one of the last things he ate was a cup of strawberry ice cream. He always said, “Everything looks better after ice cream.”
Joe is preceded in death by his wife Maureen; parents Mahlon and Frances of Cedar Rapids; sister Joyce Peachee of Waterloo; brothers Jerry, Jim, John, and Stephen of Cedar Rapids; and brother Patrick of Nevada. He is survived by his daughter, Amanda Steepleton of Minneapolis; sisters Carolyn Curtis, Janet Metz, Joan Fox, Julie Wilson, and Mary Roemig of Cedar Rapids; and many nieces and nephews.
He will be greatly missed and remembered for his kindness, intelligence, and humor. Please see https://bit.ly/joe-memorial for more information about the memorial service and gifts in lieu of flowers.
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