I'm not sure if there has been a thread started on this or not, but for those that kept up with Will, or "Cancer Guy" on here he passed away yesterday.
I only knew Will for a brief time but he was certainly one of the nicest guys I have ever met. He was a great father, husband, and friend.
He will certainly be missed.
Will had a web site years ago with training programs of elites. Really liked his love of the sport.
That's really sad news. All the best to his family.
Awful. Really feel for his family.
condolances to his family. i remember him posting on a thread I made about diseases.
Sad. How old was he?
Condolences to all his friends and family.
I actually was going to use Will as a coach about a year ago, but it did not work out. When I did talk with him over the phone, you could tell that he loved to run and knew what he was talking about. Incredibly nice guy. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.
RIP. I pass my condolences as well to all who knew him.
That's too bad. I knew it was pretty serious, but it sounded like he was doing well for a while there. Did anything ever come of the effort to do something for his family?
Not sure, but is this him? Looks very young. RIP Will Steele
Very sad. An asset to this board and to the running community as a whole. Fvcking cancer.
Yep, that's him. He was only 36 I believe.
I spoke to him once. It was amazing. I spoke to him for a minute Saturday and he sounded bad, but I didn't think it was that bad.
I sent an email and asked for a black screen.
I am very sorry to hear that Steele has passed on - he made a difference around here.
Like others, I already posted my condolence to his family on the original thread.
What I neglected to mention there was his courage--from what I understand, it isn't easy to talk about things like he did, to admit to being scared. He will forever have my admiration and respect for that.
Although we can speak for only ourselves, I'm sure that my feeling that my world is a better place for his having been in it is shared by others on this board.
Long live the memory of CG on letsrun!
Praying for his family and friends...
I never met him but he inspired me greatly. Going out for a run in his honor.
optional wrote:
I'm not sure if there has been a thread started on this or not, but for those that kept up with Will, or "Cancer Guy" on here he passed away yesterday.
I only knew Will for a brief time but he was certainly one of the nicest guys I have ever met. He was a great father, husband, and friend.
He will certainly be missed.
Awful news, and right during the Christmas holidays too. Will will be missed severely by his friends, family, and hopefully all us over on the message boards who knew him for too brief a period a time.
Man, It's tough to see this news.
Couldn't find his thread.
Could someone bump it if they find it?
I have no idea what is going on, but the original thread has been deleted. It was titled "Breaking 20 for 5K (ala Eddy Lee)". I can't imagine that was intentional, so it should be restored soon.
It took me a couple of days to gather my thoughts and emotions, as Will and I were very close friends during my time in Baton Rouge. We were also training partners for a while, running around a soccer complex or the BR lakes sharing stories about life as men in their early 20's do. I remember vividly when he mentioned being interested in a young lady named Kerri. And if you knew anything about Will at that time, he seemed to have the same sense of calm resolve about the good and the bad. So when he mentioned Kerri during a 5am run, I knew he was serious and was already in the planning stages of their marriage. I will never forget how convinced he was that she was the lady for him and how he had already envisioned growing a family with her. They did get married and had beautiful children. Like most runners, we discussed so many aspects about life while running and found that we had so much more in common than not. We supported each other in every aspect and I continue to respect him tremendously. I eventually moved from the Baton Rouge area and life landed him in Texas, but we always kept in touch up until his last hospital visit.
Will has a legacy, as we will all leave behind. And like us all, that legacy is contigent upon our own individual interpretations of our unique experiences with him. To me, Will was an incredibly spiritual person, loving son, father, and husband. He fought this cancer with all his might and shared the tragedy of this terrible illness with the world. Will and his family allowed us, all who chose to, to witness every step of the ugly fight against cancer. He laughed, cried, and shared his fears publicly.
Will also loved running and everything about it. He posted here regularly and was a major contributor to this site. He remains one of the most knowledgeable individuals I've ever met who could go in-depth about a broad range of topics: politics, spirituality, social ideology, and economics. However, he lit up when given the opportunity to share his passion for running. I can't think of anything he would not do to help any runner on any level get better if he could. With such little natural talent specific to running, he truly put as much energy as possible into making himself a better runner and person. I always got the impression that running and spirituality were deeply woven into his DNA that seemed to keep him grounded, yet transcending beyond social problems.
I admire Will now more than I did before. Even in his passing, I have learned from him. He has reminded me that it's not what you do in this life, it's not how much or little you owned, but your legacy lies in how much you loved others, how you demonstrated that love, and how much you gave unselfishly.