Howard Haldeman Steel, 97
Dr. Howard Haldeman Steel of Villanova, Pennsylvania, and Coram, died in Kalispell Sept. 5, 2018, at the age of 97 of complications from a stroke suffered two weeks earlier.
An internationally renowned innovator in the field of pediatric orthopedics, Dr. Steel developed a lifelong love for Montana after marrying Elizabeth “Betty Jo” Clack at her family’s summer place on Lake McDonald in 1964. Camping, fly fishing and horseback riding were passions he loved to share with his extended family and many visiting friends over the years. He especially enjoyed organizing pack trips into the backcountry of Glacier or the Bob Marshall Wilderness to camp and fish. He loved nothing more than to teach and impart his outdoor skills to his extended family and many grandchildren.
Born in Philadelphia in 1921, he graduated from Colgate University in 1942 and served in the Navy during World War II before attending Temple University School of Medicine. Following an orthopedic residency at Temple in 1951, Dr. Steel joined the staff as professor of orthopedics. Through Temple’s affiliation, he became chief surgeon at the Philadelphia Shriners Hospital for Children in 1966, a position he held for 20 years and chief surgeon emeritus until 2010. At Shriners, he established the nation’s first pediatric spinal cord injury center in 1980 and a visiting clinic in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where parents brought their children with orthopedic disorders to be diagnosed and transported to Shriners for life-changing treatment. Besides inventing many surgical procedures that bear his name, he authored multiple research papers, had over 70 visiting professorships and founded the Eastern Orthopedic Association in 1970 where he served two terms as president. He was a founding member of the Pediatric Orthopedic Society, later known as POSNA, and vice-president of the American Orthopedic Association from 1977 to 1978.
In 1999, an opportunity arose to reclaim the original Green family homestead in Coram, which had belonged to Betty Jo’s mother’s family until 1948. Howard and Betty Jo envisioned a year-round family retreat with handsome log structures to complement the log barn and pole barn, horses in the meadow beneath Desert Mountain, cross-country ski trails in winter and endless horseback riding trails in summer. Their vision resulted in the restoration of Green Valley Ranch, an idyllic spot designed for the multi-generational family to gather and enjoy ever since.
Dr. Steel, known in the community as “Doc,” cut a colorful figure at the wheel of his white 1969 Ford LTD wagon that the family referred to as The Coffin (with a license plate that read “Coughin”). A typical “day in town” involved a detailed list of essential supplies, starting with a visit to the Coram “postmistress” to pick up mail, moving on to NAPA for fuses or spray paint for auto upholstery, then to Cardinal for mothballs for keeping critters out of his car and tennis balls for his grass tennis court, followed by a long-winded visit to North Valley Ag with Mike and Lidell for hay and horse pellets, a stop into Halfmoon Ranch Supply to compare notes with Les and Marty, and if there was time, a quick perusal of the Evergreen pawn shops to find that perfect balky backcountry Coleman stove. Driving home, he would often make a quick stop at John’s Auto to shoot the breeze with Matt. Former Lake McDonald ranger Michael Ober, a close family friend, recently recalled how many times he called on the Doc for medical emergencies when they were staying up at the lake, from horse accidents to vehicles driving off the Going-to-the Sun Road to backpackers with strange ailments.
Howard is survived by his wife, Betty Jo; children, Anna and Josh Steel; stepchildren, Celia Smith Carroll (Brian), Turner Smith (Nancy), and Tad Smith (Eileen); children from a previous marriage, Michael, Kathy and Patrick Steel; grandchildren, Will (Michelle), Graham and Anna Carroll, Turner and Libby Smith, Townsend, Tori and Ella Smith, and Candace, Corinne and Michael Steel; and two great-granddaughters.
A local remembrance of his life will take place over the Christmas holidays.