Stella May Boots-Steele
Jan. 7, 1930-July 16, 2022
Stella May Boots-Steele passed away quietly Saturday, July 16, 2022, at the home of her son, Robert in Springfield, Illinois.
She was born Jan. 7, 1930, at Linville, Montgomery County, Indiana, to Alonzo Earl and Martha Elizabeth (Hatt) Bell. She graduated as class valedictorian from Alamo High School in 1948, and was active in the Alamo Christian Church and 4-H.
Stella then went on to work in the clerical field at RR Donnelly, where she met her future husband Lawrence Boots. They were married in Jan. 25, 1951, living first in Crawfordsville, later moving to the New Market area in 1952, where she lived until the early 1990s. During this time she supported her husband with his many activities, one which included the Businessmen’s Fish Fry (she made a wicked coney sauce for several years), and raising their two sons. She was active in the New Market Christian Church, where she enjoyed studying, teaching, music and helped with clerical support. She was active in supporting school activities at New Market. She sang in the Montgomery County Woman’s Choir in the 1960s; painted several baptistry murals in local churches; worked at the Montgomery County License Branch, County Clerk, and J.C. Penny. She was a Past Worthy Matron of the Order of the Eastern Star at Alamo. Lawrence passed in 1981, after which she married Ronald Steele of Indianapolis in 1992. She moved to the Indianapolis westside until he passed in 2017. There she worked as an historic interpreter at Conner Prairie and sales at L.S. Ayres. She returned to live for a few years at Wellbrooke of Crawfordsville until the COVID pandemic, when she moved into the home of her family in Springfield, Illinois.
She was preceded in death by her parents; brothers Warren, Archie, and William “Red” Bell; husbands Lawrence Chayce Boots and Ronald Samuel Steele; and son, Michael.
She is survived by son Robert (Kathryn); daughter-in-law Gina Boots of Sioux City, Iowa; granddaughters, Kristin (Chris) Banks of Crawfordsville, Anastasia (Chuck) Davidson of Raeford, North Carolina, and Aubrie (Dan) Linder of Omaha, Nebraska; and great-grandchildren, Madison Banks, Breya and Everly Davidson and Logan, Clara and Nolan Linder.
Special thank needs to be given to her caregiver these past three years, Kathryn. Who saw to her daily needs with a loving grace and patience as her health declined.
