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Steil lived life of public service

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George Steil

JANESVILLE — George Steil Sr. once kept thick binders of paperwork on his bed during a hunting trip.

He slept with the binders every night after combing through pages of information.

When asked why, Steil told his buddies he was reviewing the UW-System budget.

The story, told by close friend J.P Cullen, illustrates how seriously Steil took public service.

"He never just showed up to the meeting with the minutes from the last one," Cullen said. "He ran the show."

Steil, 84, a longtime Janesville attorney and former University of Wisconsin regent, died Sunday at home after battling prostate cancer.

He was a member of Brennan, Steil & Basting law firm and will be remembered for serving on a long list of state and local associations, committees and boards.

"I think part of it goes back to his military career. He saw what life was like in the military and what he was fighting for," his son, George Steil Jr., said. "When he got back from the military, his main goal was to improve the quality of life for people."

George Sr. served in the U.S. Army in New Guinea and the Philippines in the 1940s. He returned and married his wife, Mavis, and earned his law degree at UW-Madison. He settled in Janesville.

"He cared about the state, and he cared about the city," Cullen said. "He was behind the scenes trying to make things better for all of us. He was that kind of guy."

Neal Schneider, a friend of 50 years, spent lots of time hunting with George.

They hunted deer in northern Wisconsin, duck on Lake Koshkonong and pheasant in South Dakota. They also fished in Canada.

"We always shared a room together," Schneider said. "He was older and always got first choice as to which bed he wanted."

He described George as being honest and dependable.

"He was just George. He was just a great guy," Schneider said. "He had character. He was sincere. He had a great mind.

"When he'd tell you something, that's the way it was. You always knew where he was coming from."

Dave MacDougall, a former law partner, got his first job from George after finishing law school.

The two worked closely together.

"He was a down-to-earth guy." MacDougall said. "We worked hard, we laughed a lot, we hoped and prayed a lot and things turned out."

When it came to law, George was brilliant, his son said.

"He thought the legal system, although not perfect, was the best system in the world to solve problems peacefully," he said.

Away from work and public service, George loved being with his wife and four children. They all went on a family trip to Ireland two years ago.

"Family gatherings were probably his most relaxing and enjoyable times," his son said. "He was a family guy at heart."