Jettie Mae Steels

Jettie Mae Steels was born on December 17, 1941 in Caddo Parish, Louisiana. She was the only child of Johnny Starks and Arlener Washington Beverly. Jettie grew up in Shreveport Louisiana attending grade school and middle school there. She moved to Fort Worth with her mother in 1957 and attended IM Terrell high school. She met and married the love of her life L.C. Steels Sr. and ten children were born of that union.
Jettie was a full-time homemaker until her last child entered school. During the 70’s she worked running the family store and record shop alongside her husband. She also sang background on several of her husband’s recordings. Jettie later worked as a jewelry maker for Rios’ Jewelers in Fort Worth where she made custom gold/diamond jewelry until she retired.
A phenomenal Christian woman, Jettie was a member of the Mansfield Avenue Baptist Church (Pastor Sammy Edmond) for over 40 years. She served faithfully as President of the Missionary Group for many years. She loved reading the bible and Sunday School. One of her favorite sayings was, “You only have two friends, Jesus and yourself”.
As an only child, Jettie always wanted a large family and her crowning joy and accomplishment was being a mother to her children. She provided a solid foundation of Faith, honesty, humility, and leadership.
As an avid and amateur lexicologist, she instilled the need for education and effective communication her children. Every accomplishment, disappointment, or failure was handled with long conversations that included works that you were forced to look up in the dictionary in order to comprehend. Jettie mothered, inspired, mentored, and cared for many people in her east Fort Worth neighborhood. Any young person who needed a helping hand could get it from her without judgement. Of course, the help came with a long conversation and sound advice.
Lastly, Jettie loved to laugh and she laughed with her children. Whether watching cartoons together as children, coloring, funny movies, talent shows, dancing, or cracking jokes, we laughed. She had many funny sayings that became her signature statements called Ms. Jettieisms. Even when dementia started to take her memory, the good things remained. She could finish any scripture, gospel song, and all her children’s nick names. When she could not remember certain things she would say, “I’m getting old and my brain is leaking out of my ears without my permission.” Then she would laugh.
Mrs. Jettie Mae Steels, stepped out of time and into eternity on August 12, 2020.
She was preceded in death by her father Johnny Starks, her mother Arlener Beverly, daughters Pearl Steels, Lawanda K. Steels, son Anthony Ray Steels, grandsons Quincy Wayne Steels & Artis James Prestidge, daughter-in-law Patricia Faye Steels, son-in-law Rev. Eldridge Johnson, and aunt Jessie Mae Owens.
Left to cherish her memory are her children: L.C. Steels Jr. (Margaret), Arlener Steels-Poydras (Rev. Lumus), Patricia Steels-Johnson Steels, David Wayne Steels, Lonnie C. Steels, Clemmie Lee Steels, Michael Eugene Steels, Daughter-in- Love Lisa Steels, special friend-sister Earnestine Edmond, 19 grandkids, 21 great grand kids and a host of other relatives and friends.