Thomye Cordelia Steen

Thomye was born on August 19, 1936, in Washington County, Texas to the late Thomas Godfrey Whiting and Addie Lee Whiting. She was their first-born child and the first-born granddaughter of Lott Robert Whiting and Cordelia Whiting. Her cousins called her “Little Sister”. To her ten siblings she was a “big sister” as well as an impeccable role model. 

She accepted Christ as Lord and savior and united with St. Matthew Baptist Church in Old Washington, Texas under the pastoral leadership of Reverend West. 

A young woman with purpose, she attended Post Oak Ridge School in Washington County and graduated from high school in Bon Wier, Texas. The dedicated student enrolled at Prairie View A&M University and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education at age nineteen.

After graduating she moved to College Station, Texas, met and her soul mate, Philip Steen Jr. on May 11, 1957. To this union four children were born; Philip Duane Steen III, Starla Renee Steen, Rhonda Yvette Steen and Natalie Raina Steen.

Thomye was a faithful member of Washington Chapel Missionary Baptist Church. She sang in the choir, served as a deaconess, belonged to the women’s mission and made bread for the Lord’s Supper. 

A champion for education, she enjoyed an extended teaching career at Jones High School in Snook, Texas and College Hills Elementary School. Dedicated to the field she taught second-grade for twenty-seven years.

After retiring, she doted on her grandchildren. The best part of her weekdays was when she called her grandchildren to make sure they’d gotten home from school safely. She also enjoyed Major League baseball, solving crossword puzzles and doing needle point.

She was preceded in death by her parents and two brothers, Wilfred Whiting and Reginald Whiting.