Sudbury business pioneer passes away

One of the pioneers of the Sudbury business community passed away Aug. 19 at the age of 86.

Donald Steel was born in Drake, Saskatchewan in 1928, and was raised in Teeswater, Ont. He settled in Sudbury in 1946, and established Steel Electronics in 1958, which sold two-way radios.

Along with business partner Tom Smith, Steel was at the centre of the newly conceived telecommunications industry.

Steel Electronics maintained the first communications system for the Sudbury detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police and installed the same systems for the Sudbury Regional Police Service and the Sudbury Fire Department.

Steel Electronics and its several subsidiaries went on to do everything from providing region-wide paging to servicing traffic lights to installing communications towers.

People may recognize the local businesses True Steel Security and Steel Control Services, both of which Steel started.

Steel sold Steel Electronics and its subsidiaries to Northern Telephone in 1986, although he eventually became a silent partner to several of these companies. He remained involved in business until his death.

“He retired four times, actually,” said his daughter, Leslie Steel. “I think we had four retirement parties.”

For his contribution to the Sudbury business community, Steel was presented with an Entrepreneur of the Generation Northern Ontario Business Award in 2000.

“One has to take risks to achieve success,” Steel said, at the time. “You can't stand still, or you'll go backward.”

He credited his success to exceptional employees.

“You're dependent upon them to a great extent,” Steel said. “We've been blessed to have some very good people. They're exceptional.”

Steel's obituary said he was passionate about his family, his politics, his golf and his favourite single malt scotch.

It said he's remembered with love and gratitude for his personal values, ethics, integrity and perseverance — qualities he shared most generously.

Leslie Steel said she'll always remember her father with pride.

“I'm very proud of him for a number of reasons — because he had so much integrity, because he did everything on his own, and because he never took no for an answer,” she said. “He was a really strong man.”

A funeral service for Steel was held Aug. 23. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Lina (Urso) Steel, his three children and seven grandchildren.

Memorial donations can be made in lieu of flowers to the Elisabeth Steel-Reurink Memorial Scholarship Fund (send cheques to 859 Notre Dame Dr., London, ON, N6J 3C3), or to the CNIB.