Major General (Retired) William Berry Steele

Major General (Retired) William Berry Steele of Columbus, Georgia died Saturday, February 7, 2026 at his residence.

Funeral Services will be held 10:00 AM Monday, February 23, 2026 at The Inouye Field located at the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center 1775 Legacy Way, Columbus, Georgia 31903 with full U.S. Army Honors. The family will receive friends following the services at the National Infantry Museum. Major General Steele will be laid to rest in his hometown of Lilly, Georgia

The only son of Wade Hampton Steele, Jr. and Frances Lucille Berry, William "Bill" Berry Steele was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on August 17, 1929. However, Bill grew up in rural middle Georgia near Lilly, Georgia, after his mother and father returned to Wade and Dora Steele's farm, his paternal grandparents, in the early years of the Depression. Bill attended Vienna High School and during his senior year he studied at Gordon Military High School in Barnesville, Georgia. Bill attended Gordon Junior College for two years and then graduated from the University of Georgia, cum laude, and was commissioned as a distinguished military graduate from the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry in the U.S. Army. He later attended the Navy Command and Staff College in Newport, Rhode Island, and the Army War College in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. In addition, he earned a master's degree in International Relations from George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. He spent 29 years in the Army, receiving numerous military decorations and awards, which include the Army Distinguished Service Medal, two Silver Star Medals, the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, two Meritorious Service Medals, seventeen Air Medals, the Bronze Star Medal with "V" for Valor, the Bronze Star Medal for Meritorious Service and three Army Commendation Medals, as well as several foreign decorations.

Upon graduation, Bill Steele first trained in Fort Benning, Georgia, with the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment where he was soon deployed to Schweinfurt, Germany. During his military career, he commanded at every level of troop command from platoon to division level. He commanded rifle companies and held staff positions in the 3rd Infantry Division, the 4th Infantry Division and the 82nd Airborne Division. In August 1967, Steele took command of the 5th Infantry Battalion (Mechanized) in Vietnam and later completed his Vietnam tour as Chief Of Staff of the 9th Infantry Division (Forward). From 1972 to 1974 he commanded the 197th Independent Infantry Brigade (Mechanized) at Fort Benning, Georgia. Finally, he served as Commanding General of the 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized) from 1976 to 1978 and took the division and supporting forces to Germany on a NATO maneuver in 1978.

Steele also handled officer assignments and school selections in the Infantry Officer Assignment Branch of the Department of Army; he was military advisor to the King's Royal Guard in Saudi Arabia; he taught at the U.S. Army Infantry School and the Army War College; he was Executive Officer and Senior Aide to the Army Chief of Staff, General William Westmoreland, and he was Deputy Commander of the U.S. Army Recruiting Command.

Following his retirement from the Army in 1979, General Steele joined Aflac, Inc. (American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus) in Columbus, Georgia. While there, he successfully served in both their marketing and administration capacities, with his last four years spent as Senior Vice President for International Operations. He retired from Aflac in 1994 but has continued to be active in Army-related matters, having been elected President of the National Infantry Association in 2011.

In 2012 Steele published My Journey, which retraces his life from rural Georgia during the Great Depression to his career in the military. The memoir features his personal sacrifices, triumphs, and tragedies, while ultimately it is about how proud he was to serve his country and to experience the joy and rewards of family life. His participation in the Christian community involved sharing time, skills, and resources to support others, engaging in outreach, and fostering personal spiritual growth through accountability and service.

Other than his parents, General Steele was preceded in death by his first wife, Virginia "Ginny" Nell Akin Steele and his son Wade Shannon Steele.

Survivors include his wife Sandra “Sandy” Cross Steele of Columbus, Georgia, son, Dr. William B. Steele, Jr and his wife Deborah of Monterey, CA., grandchildren, Brian W Steele, Marie S. Culpepper, William B. Steele, III, and Sara S. Ruiz, great-grandchildren, Elise Culpepper, Grace Steele, Sebastian Steele, Ryleigh Ruiz, William Steele IV, Christopher Steele, Bodhi Ruiz and Brooks Ruiz.

In Lieu of Flowers, the family request donations be made in memory of Major General William B. Steele to The Valley Rescue Mission 2903 Second Ave., Columbus, Georgia 31904 or to The National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center 1775 Legacy Way, Columbus, Georgia 31904.