Mark Steele

Mark Steele was born on March 5, 1932 at the Knickerbocker Hospital in New York City. As a child he studied at the Columbia Grammar School in New York City where he excelled in math, science, pranks, and practical jokes. He studied pre-med at Kenyon College in Ohio and went to SUNY Medical School. He went on to complete his education at Yale University where he specialized in pediatrics and met the love of his life Shirley, who would be his wife for 53 years.
Their life of adventure started when he was drafted into the Air Force Medical Corp. After three years overseas he returned home with Shirley and their two daughters, Anne and Victoria.
They returned to Yale University where he became a pioneer in the field of prenatal genetic research and was credited for his groundbreaking contributions in the development of amniocentesis for prenatal diagnosis. He then went onto Johns Hopkins University for a fellowship in cytogenetics, which led to further advancements in the field of modern prenatal screening and diagnosis.
With a new daughter, Emily, he took his family to Pittsburgh, PA, where he was instrumental in the development of the Department of Genetics for Research and Counseling at the University of Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital. In addition to his research he also worked closely with the Medical Ethics Committee and wrote extensively on ethics, medicine, and research.
He retired to Boulder, CO in 1993. He loved to travel, crossword puzzles, writing poems, gardening and making jam. Most of all he loved life and his family and sought out and embraced every new experience he found. He was beloved and he will never be forgotten.