Bryan Steil: “Grandparents are a window to the past and teach us where we came from. They are also a window to the future of who we…”

“Grandparents are a window to the past and teach us where we came from. They are also a window to the future of who we will become. My Grandma Steil has been that for all of us: an inspiration and a guide. In Wisconsin, there are those whose grandparents retire to warmer climates, but my Grandma Steil has called Wisconsin home for 100 years. She never minds the cold. Below zero and wind? It is a fine day for a walk. Maybe her strength came from growing up on a farm outside of Darlington, Wisconsin, during the Great Depression. After graduation and after World War II, she would marry her junior high school prom date, George Steil. As a mother of 4, a grandmother of 10, and a great grandmother of another 10, she is a constant and loving presence and an example to all of us of how to live a meaningful life. What makes my grandmother so special and so wonderful? She is an ever-present inspiration of how to live a life of faith and service to others. Whether it was serving as president of the Janesville Catholic Women's Club in 1954 or, as I still marvel, waking up at 4:30 in the morning in 2014 to prepare breakfast at the homeless shelter in Janesville, she provides us a guide on how to give to others in our community. Grandma, thank you. You are a constant reminder of what it means to live a loving and meaningful life. We are profoundly grateful to be a part of your life. On this, your 100th birthday, I say to you, Grandma, happy birthday. ____________________”