Ethel Cagley Steele

Ethel "Tillie" Cagley Steele, age 81, passed away on January 26, 2023.

Ms. Steele was a lifelong educator, beloved mother & grandmother, a drama and debate coach, a puzzle aficionado, a Shakespeare theater patron, and so much more. She touched the lives of countless students and colleagues in her roles as a teacher and later a Literacy and Learning Specialist.

Tillie was born in Eagan, Tennessee to a coal-mining family. When she was nine, her father became a Federal Coal Mine Inspector and moved the family to Pennsylvania, where Tillie finished school, graduated with a B.A. in English from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and began her teaching career.

After moving to Florida in 1972, Tillie taught elementary school and high school in Orange County. She later taught high school in Seminole County, earned her Masters in Counseling, and became a Literacy Coach for the Seminole County School District.

Tillie is survived by her daughter Elizabeth Jean (Leigh Ann) Preston-Steele, son Warren "Chip" (Jennifer) Steele, son Jonathan (Brittany) Steele, granddaughters Rebecca, Julia, and Rachel, and grandsons Samuel, David, and Benjamin.

She is survived also by her sisters Norma Christie, Mary DePra, and Judith Cagley, all of Pennsylvania. Tillie was preceded in death by her parents Wilburn and Betty Marie Cagley, originally from Tennessee.

She was formerly a member of Westminster Presbyterian and of Calvary Assembly, where she sang in the choir and professed her faith in Jesus Christ as her savior.

Tillie's final hours and minutes were spent in the loving company of her children and grandchildren.