Karla Deane Steele, age 67, passed away peacefully on Saturday, March 19, 2016, at her home in Boulder City, Nevada. Karla was born February 6, 1949, in Delta, Utah, daughter to LeRoy Vern Steele and Dorothy Thelma Harris Steele, and sister to Billie Rae Rowley, Barbara Dunbar, Karyl Lambert, Richard Steele, Kaye Steele-Dent and Kathy Amrine.
She attended schools in Delta, Utah, and Boulder City, Nevada, graduating from Boulder City High School in 1967. In her late teens, she worked at the family-owned Frosty Freeze in Boulder City, and later as a teller at the First National Bank in Las Vegas. She married David F. Askew, Jr. in 1970, and together, they managed the family-owned Sands Motel in Boulder City for a year before taking over ownership of Central Market of Boulder City. Most importantly, they welcomed their only child, Deana, on July 1, 1973. After their divorce in 1981, Karla went to work for the Eye Institute of Nevada, where she worked for many years as a receptionist. Upon the closure of the Eye Institute of Nevada, she retired and in 2011, she fulfilled her dream of moving back to Delta, Utah. For a couple of seasons, she came out of retirement to help a longtime friend manage his shower unit that was contracted to assist fire fighters during the fire season.
Witty, caring, and warm-hearted are only a few words that describe the unique spirit that Karla was. She was a loving and caring daughter, sister, mother, aunt, grandmother, and friend. As the middle child of seven, she was a special kind of friend and companion to her older siblings and a devoted and nurturing sister to the younger ones. Being even-tempered, fair, and balanced, Karla was the bridge between all the children. She was a devoted mother, and she loved, cherished and spoiled her grandchildren, who meant the world to her. She was an amazing cook and loved to prepare meals for her family. She enjoyed canning foods, gardening, genealogy, and hunting for rare and uncommon rocks. She also loved to watch food and cooking channels as well as game shows.
She is survived by her daughter: Deana Parsons; son-in-law: Jim Parsons; and two grandchildren: Zane Askew and Karli Parsons. She also leaves behind numerous loving relatives and friends.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, March 25, at 11:00 a.m., at the Delta LDS Stake Center Chapel, 125 White Sage Avenue. A visitation will be held Friday at 10:00 a.m., prior to the service. A private family burial will follow in Delta City Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, Memorial Donations can be made to the American Liver Foundation at www.liverfoundation.org in Karla Steele’s Memory. Online condolences may be left at www.nicklemortuary.com
There’s a place I’ve never seen beyond this world we know, a place I’ve only heard of, it’s not on any map, there are no roads, but it’s a place of perfect peace. And although I understand some may be saddened when I leave, one day, we will all meet again that is what I believe. When it is time to travel there, I think I will wear a smile, I’ll say goodbye to those I love, but only for a while, knowing there are others who have traveled there alone, who cannot wait to greet me and to whisper “welcome home.”