Bill Steltemeier

He was born to Rudolph William Steltemeier, Sr., and Mary Ione Steltemeier, in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1929.[1] He attended Chaminade College Preparatory School in St. Louis, Missouri. Steltemeier received his bachelor's degree from Vanderbilt University.[1] In 1954, Steltemeier graduated from Vanderbilt University Law School. He enlisted in the United States Army after law school and served in France for two years.[1]

He co-founded Steltemeier & Westbrook - originally Brown & Steltemeier - a Tennessee law firm which specializes in commercial law and bankruptcy law, in 1960.[1] Steltemeier was a member of the boards of directors for 7-Step Foundation, Operation Comeback, and the Dismas House, which advocates for the rehabilitation of prison inmates.[1] He also co-established a Junior Chamber of Commerce for younger prisoners. Bishop Joseph Durick ordained him as a permanent deacon for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nashville on April 26, 1975. Steltemeier was one of the first Roman Catholic permanent deacons to be ordained in the United States.[1]

Steltemeier first met Mother Angelica, a Franciscan nun who would later found Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), while attending a 1978 legal convention in Chicago.[1][2] The two would form a close professional and personal relationship.[2] Mother Angelica established EWTN in 1980 and appointed Steltemeier as the network's founding President and first member of the board of directors.[1] EWTN began broadcasting from a small studio in Irondale, Alabama, on August 15, 1981. Steltemeier commuted from his home in Nashville to the studio for twenty-two years as the Catholic network expanded nationwide.[2]

Mother Angelica retired from the day-to-day operations of EWTN in March 2000 due to ongoing health problems.[2] Upon her retirement, Steltemeier was elevated from president to the television network's chairman of the board and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).[1][2] Bill Steltemeier stepped down as CEO in 2009, but remained the Chairman of EWTN until his death in February 2013.[2]

In October 2009, Deacon Steltemeier and Mother Angelica were awarded the papal medal Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice by Pope Benedict XVI for their service to the Catholic Church.[1] He was also a Knight of Malta and a Knight of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem.

Bill Steltemeier died at home in Hanceville, Alabama, on February 15, 2013, at the age of 83.[2] He was survived by his wife, the former Ramona Schnupp, whom he married in 1953.[1] He was preceded in death by their son Rudy Steltemeier III, and daughter-in-law, Debra Steltemeier. His funeral was held at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville. He was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Nashville.[2]