Joseph T. Steede, longtime Waltham fire chief, at 78
WALTHAM -- Retired Waltham Fire Chief Joseph T. Steede, a World War II veteran, died May 30 of heart failure at his home. He was 78.
Colleagues described Chief Steede -- who followed in his father's footsteps to become fire chief in 1984 -- as a quiet man who was great at a fire scene. ''He would give you orders and expect them to be done and let you do your work," said current Waltham Fire Chief Thomas M. Keough, ''but he had control of the situation at all times."
''He was a good man to work for," said Lieutenant Robert M. Sweeney. ''He was easygoing but always got the job done, got the most out of his men."
''My family are all firefighters," said his brother, John R. Steede of Otisfield, Maine, referring not only to his late brother, son, nephews, and sons-in-law who are part of the department, but also to his father, the late Waltham Fire Chief John F. Steede. ''He [Chief Steede] wanted to follow our father."
Family members used to joke that in his spare time, the younger Steede was married to his golf clubs. A member of the Woodlawn Golf Club in Newton for 27 years, the confirmed bachelor went to Florida every year, just to play golf.
''He was a fixture," said General Manager David Garfinkel. ''[He was] just a person whose counsel was sought, [and] whose friendship was sought."
A lifelong Waltham resident, Chief Steede graduated from Waltham High School then joined the United States Coast Guard, serving until the end of World War II.
In 1950, he graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and joined the Waltham Fire Department in 1953. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1957, then captain in 1963 and deputy chief in 1965.
He held that position until 1984, when he was promoted to chief of the department. He was chief until his retirement in 1990.
A regular at the annual Waltham Fire-Police golf tournament, Chief Steede was a former member of the Fire Chiefs' Association of Massachusetts and the International Association of Fire Fighters, Local 866.
He had also been a member of the PFC John M. Sullivan VFW Post No. 10334 in Waltham, the Ancient Order of Hibernians in Watertown, and the Loyal Order of Moose, Lodge No. 1018 in Waltham.
In addition to his brother, Chief Steede leaves another brother, Kevin R. of Confluence, Pa.; two sisters, Jean M. French of Weston and Marilyn P. Eagan of Fort Myers, Fla.; and many nieces and nephews. He was the brother of the late David C. Steede.
A funeral Mass was to be said yesterday in Saint Mary's Church in Waltham. Burial was to be in Calvary Cemetery in Waltham.
