(Knights of Columbus Grand Knight Jeff bishop speaks to the crowd at one of the three Lt. Timothy Steele Memorial events.)

If the measure of a life well lived is the everlasting honor and respect of a community, then 1st Lt. Timothy Steele’s too brief life was admirable indeed.

In the months since his death while fighting in Afghanistan, the community has rallied to remember the Duxbury High School graduate’s legacy and family. This past weekend, the recently incorporated Knights of Columbus held a day long benefit that included a 5K race, golf tournament and banquet, with all proceeds to go to Lt. Steele’s widow Meaghan and daughter Liberty, 2.

Soon after Glenn Frazier learned Lt. Steele had left behind a daughter, he and his fellow Knights of Columbus members began brainstorming ways to help the Steele family. For Frazier, part of it was personal. He understands what it is to lose a parent at a young age. Though he didn’t know the Steeles and to his knowledge, none of the other six members of the Knights of Columbus, based out of Holy Family Church, did either, they knew enough about the man and his sacrifice on behalf of his country to want to honor his family. 

“Personally, I’ve been out of work, the economy is tough,” said Frazier, an electrician. “I had time on my hands and I wanted to give back. And I lost my mother at a young age. I know what it’s like and I wanted to help.”

Help they did.

Though before this weekend the extent of their activities were organizing pancake breakfasts and painting railings, they pulled off one of the most momentous events of the year. The road race had 500 registered participants and yet more runners; the golf tournament registered more than the capacity 120 players; and the banquet filled the Holy Family Church hall to capacity. The Knights of Columbus were quick to say they didn’t do it alone. They asked for help from the community and received a bounty in return. The Duxbury Yacht Club generously donated its facilities for the tournament, the church turned over its hall for the banquet and the Disabled American Veterans helped them establish charitable status. Additionally, Duxbury Town Hall, and both the police and fire departments went above and beyond to ensure the road race went smoothly.

And then there was Frazier’s wife Allyson and her group, the Holy Family Church’s Women’s Club, which organized the banquet. Frazier said they transformed the hall, seating an overflow group of 350 in style.

“My wife works for the American Heart Association,” said Frazier. “She has event planning and fundraising experience. She has been the pro in the (Knights) group.”

Jeff Bishop, the Grand Knight of the Duxbury’s Knights of Columbus, was humble about his group’s efforts. He believes in living the tenants of the Knight’s pledge: charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism.

“(As a Knight) we are defenders of our faith and servants of our community,” said Bishop. “Part of what we learned in becoming knights is to look after widows of the lost brothers. Tim was also a knight. We’re helping a community in the healing process of losing a native son.”

Like the Knights, Ling Wong wanted to do something to honor the life of Lt. Steele. His efforts started in the days and weeks following Lt. Steele’s death. He and Jean Waltz established the Lt. Timothy Steele Memorial Fund Web site in an effort to raise funds for Lt. Steele’s widow.

An Army veteran himself with a son at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Wong never forgot a classmate from Special Forces Under Water Operations who was killed in action in Grenada. Wong recalls his friend showing him a picture of his wife and young child and then later seeing that same photo in newspaper accounts of the soldier’s death.

“I remember at the time what it was to lose someone whose life was so promising,” said Wong, who like many who have stepped forward didn’t know Tim Steele. “That’s what led me to want to do something for Lt. Steele. He was very much the same person, that’s what led me to reach out. To me, it was no big deal, money is a small thing, but it’s an important thing.”

Wong said that although people are still contributing to the site, he plans to turn over all fundraising to the Knights of Columbus within the month. To date, his and Waltz’s site has raised over $80,000.

“It came not only from Duxbury,” said Wong, “but even his classmates at West Point. They were overseas and gave something. It’s really humbling. There’s really no way to describe how his fellow classmates reached out to help.”

Duxbury High School football coach David Maimaron and his team also did what they could to honor the sacrifice of Lt. Steele and his family. Together, they attended the service for Lt. Steele and were so moved by his life, they wanted to give his family something of themselves.

In addition to dedicating its season to Lt. Steele, the football team, working with their Boosters, sold shirts, passed around a bucket at home games and mowed lawns to raise money for the family.

“One of the ways we raised money was to clean up yards,” said Maimaron. “The day after Thanksgiving, we raked the Steele’s yard and cleaned their windows.”

All of their efforts raised $37,000 for the family. But the team didn’t stop there. This past weekend, the young men and their coach continued to give.

“They volunteered to help set up and clean up at the banquet,” said Maimaron. “They’re great kids, they come from great families. I’m proud of Duxbury to see how much it cares.”

None of the people who donated their time and energy to remembering the life of Lt. Steele thought what they did was especially worthy of notice. None would take credit. All spoke only of the Steele family’s grace and their own gratitude for the support from the community.

Bishop said that while the final figures aren’t yet in, the Knights of Columbus far exceeded their fundraising goal of $30,000 for Saturday’s events. Choking up as he reflected on the sacrifice of Lt. Steele and his family while deflecting any credit for himself and the Knights of Columbus, Bishop said, “We’re honored and privileged to be able to do something.”

Anyone who would like to contribute to the Lt. Timothy Steele Memorial Fund may do so by visiting the Knights of Columbus donation site at steelememorial.eventbrite.com. For those who would like to view additional photos from Saturday’s Knights of Columbus fundraiser or would like to share photos of their own, visit shutterfly.com and use the email address steelememorialgolftournament@gmail.com with the password 051212.