Timothy Alan Steele, head usher at the Huntington Center and lead usher at Fifth Third Field, a retired manager, and an Army veteran of the Vietnam War, died Dec. 20 at the Hospice of Northwest Ohio on Detroit Avenue. He was 73.

He died of heart and kidney failure after his diffused B-cell lymphoma metastasized, his daughter, Gwendolyn Steele, said.

Mr. Steele retired in 2013 as a logistics and deliveries manager at Seagate Office Products, where he had been employed for 15 years. He previously worked at different times as an offset printer and a catalog manager at the Bostwick-Braun Co. in Holland, and a catalog manager at the National Exchange Club in Toledo.

In retirement, he was head usher at Huntington Center and lead usher Fifth Third Field during Walleye and Mud Hens games, until his health failed him four weeks before he died.

“As a head usher, he was unbelievable. He was fast on his feet. He was very intelligent. And he was great with people. ... I loved that man. He was like a brother to me,” said Brian Elmer, supervisor of ushers and ticket takers at the Huntington Center.

“They really liked him at the Huntington Center. He’s kind of famous there. Everybody knew him. He was very personable. He would talk to you and he would remember everything you told him and he would follow up on it with a question the next time he saw you,” Ms. Steele said.

“He also liked to quiz you about sports and play little gags on you. That’s why everybody remembered him,” she said.

Mr. Steele was also a baseball and softball umpire at various northwest Ohio high school, college, and church leagues for nearly 40 yeas until recently.

“He enjoyed coaching children and young adults. He was a great mentor to them,” lifelong friend Rod Patterson said. “He was [also] very outgoing and personable. He enjoyed helping people.”

At the Walleye home game Dec. 27, the Huntington Center showed a video montage of photos of Mr. Steele and held a moment of silence for him before the National Anthem was played, Ms. Steele said.

Mr. Steele was born Dec.19, 1946 in Toledo to Leona and Ronald Steele.

In 1965, he graduated from Start High School and enlisted in the Army before his draft number came up.

Mr. Steele was first stationed at Fort Meade, Md., and then was shipped to Vietnam, where he served as a company clerk for a year until 1967.

He then was in the active reserve for two years, followed by another two years in the stand-by reserve. He was honorably discharged in 1972 with the rank of specialist fourth class.

Upon his discharge, Mr. Steele returned to Toledo and hired on as an offset printer at Bostwick-Braun.

In 1970, he married Georgia Sullivan. They later divorced.

In his free time, Mr. Steele enjoyed bowling and playing dart ball. He was also a fan of Detroit and Toledo sports teams.

He was a member of St. Lucas Lutheran Church, where he volunteered as a youth-group adviser.

Surviving are his daughters, Gwendolyn Steele and Carla Steele-Fey; brother, Clifton Steele; partner, Judy Zurawski, and a grandson.

A memorial service will begin at 12 p.m. Jan. 25 at St. Lucas Lutheran Church, 745 Walbridge Ave., where a sports-themed reception will immediately follow.

The family suggests tributes to the church or the American Cancer Society.

First Published January 7, 2020, 5:00 a.m.