RICHMOND

Billy Steil remembered fondly for passion for Cold Spring, ROCORI sports

Andy Rennecke — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 17:25:51 GMT

COLD SPRING — Billy Steil didn't want any competition as the ROCORI High �� wrestling manager.

So when Jeff Illies couldn't wrestle during his senior year during the winter of 1989-90 because of a broken foot, his coach, Jon DeLozier, suggested that he still help out the team in some way.

When Steil, who was always known as Cold Spring and ROCORI's biggest athletics fan, heard this, he initially wasn't too happy with Illies.

"I wanted to be on the team, but I knew Billy was there. I will always remember him pulling me out of the wrestling room and making it clear that he was 'Manager No. 1' and he was the boss," Illies said with a laugh. "I said 'Bill, I'm fine with that.' After that, he was good. That's how I got to start knowing him."

Steil died on Friday, Sept. 22, at Assumption Home in Cold Spring.

His funeral was scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 28, at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Cold Spring.

Steil, who had Down syndrome, would routinely be seen riding his bike around town. He worked for WACOSA, the Cold Spring Bakery and as a janitor at ROCORI schools. His passion for wrestling and baseball, in particular, was well known throughout Central Minnesota.

Starting in the early 1980s, Steil managed the ROCORI wrestling teams and became bat boy for the Spartans as well as the town's Legion and amateur teams. When he was the manager under DeLozier, Steil saw the Spartans win eight section championships while the team placed third once, fourth twice and fifth once. DeLozier also coached 26 individual state-place finishers during his 32-year coaching career while Steil was at his side.

Steil was recognized in the ROCORI Hall of Fame as being the school's "super fan."

Illies, who graduated from ROCORI in 1990 and has been the school's baseball coach since 2006, called Steil "a generational person in this community." In recent years Steil had been slowed down because of health issues, and Illies noticed his presence was missed around Cold Spring.

"He loved Cold Spring and ROCORI. He always biked around town and it was hard not to see him do that anymore. They broke the mold when Bill was born," Illies said.

'One of the guys'

Illies, who is a longtime high school math teacher at ROCORI, remembers working a second job at the Side Bar & Grill and Steil always stopping to chat. Usually, Steil would bring Illies a donut or cookie from the Cold Spring Bakery.

"I really got to know him when I was an assistant coach under Pat Dolan with our Legion baseball program," Illies said. "When I played with the Springers, he always traveled with us. That's when I really got to know him. When I worked at the Side, we would share a root beer or a basket of fries. He kept me company. He was so thoughtful and cared for the people he got to know."

Dolan, who has coached the St. Cloud State baseball program since 2007, remembers messing with a young Brainerd Dispatch sports reporter after a rough loss when he was coaching the Legion program. Dolan got kicked out of the game and used Steil's name while he was being quoted after expressing his frustration over the umpiring.

"I was like 23 or 24 and didn't know any better," Dolan said. "Billy was our manager/bat boy/assistant coach. We got smoked by Brainerd like 15-1. The umps were brutal. The reporter was interviewing me and I said something like 'It was like three blind mice out there and we got screwed over.' I shouldn't have said that obviously. When he asked which coach I was I said 'Billy Steil.'

"The next day in the Brainerd paper the headline said 'Cold Spring Coach Billy Steil blames umpires for loss.' Billy's name was in there like five or six times. I think even Billy got a kick out of it more than anybody else."

Dolan said Steil always participated in Special Olympics events throughout the state. His favorite sport was wrestling. Dolan thought he would try going out for wrestling — until Steil beat him in a one-on-one match.

"He put me in a hold and I couldn't get out," Dolan said. "He had me in a cradle and wouldn't let me out. Everyone loved that, even I did. He was such a great athlete. He played softball for a long time, too. He always gave the best pregame and postgame speeches when he was around our teams.

"Billy's one-liners were the best. He could dish it out like anybody else could. He was one of the guys."

The stories

Longtime Cold Spring Rockies manager/player David Jonas called Steil "a word legend" for some of the things he would talk about in the dugout during amateur baseball and Legion games. With Steil spending so much time around Cold Spring Baseball Park, he picked up things fast and wasn't afraid to let people know how they were playing.

"The guy belonged in a Hall of Fame for his sayings in the dugout," Jonas said. "He took the ribbing and gave it right back to us. He was a lot of fun to banter with. He was as quick-witted as anybody. Everybody knew him around the area, not just in Cold Spring. His reach was much farther than just Cold Spring."

Jonas and his high school teammate, Zach Reif, both remembered a story that happened during their senior years of baseball with the Spartans in the spring of 2003.

Reif was pitching and the other team's batter fouled a pitch off into the ROCORI dugout. Steil had his back turned to the play and the ball clipped him on the arm. Both Reif and Jonas said that it could have been much worse and that Steil got lucky he wasn't hit any worse.

Since Steil had his back turned to the play, he blamed Reif for throwing the ball at him. Both Reif and Jonas said it took a while to calm Steil down, who eventually forgave Reif after about 24 hours.

"The ball skimmed Bill's shirt and you would have thought he got shot in the arm," Reif said with a chuckle. "He came out holding his arm and was being very strong with his emotions. Whatever emotion Bill had at the time, he gave you it all. He told me that I threw the ball at him on purpose from the mound during the game. I didn't know what to say other than 'That didn't happen, Bill.' We talked him off the ledge with that one."

Added Jonas: "Bill was quick to forgive Zach and ended up giving a speech at his wedding. It's hard not to look back at it and laugh a little. Zach, of course, never would do anything like that."

Reif, 38, now lives in Plymouth with his wife and two kids. As a computer software salesman, he travels a lot and doesn't get back to his hometown of Rockville or Cold Spring much anymore. However, he was making the trip to Steil's funeral on Thursday because of how much he meant to him.

"I didn't get to see Bill a lot after I moved to the Twin Cities. I'm regretting the opportunity I had to maybe see him in the nursing home more these past few years and to spend more time with him," Reif said. "You just don't realize the impact people have on you until they're gone. He touched so many lives in Cold Spring and the entire area.

"My parents always said how lucky Bill was to have a caring community like Cold Spring looking over him. Well, I look at it completely opposite. I think Cold Spring was lucky to have a guy like Bill."

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St. Cloud man killed in single-vehicle crash in west central Minnesota

Forum News Service — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 14:31:36 GMT

RICHMOND, Minn. — A St. Cloud man was killed Monday, Oct. 12, in a single-vehicle crash near Richmond, Minn.

According to the State Patrol, Brad Robert Grunig, 45, was driving a 2007 Lincoln MKZ east on state Highway 23 near Becker Lake Circle when the vehicle ran off the road and struck a road sign and several trees.

Grunig, who was not wearing a seat belt, died at the scene, according to the report.

Road conditions were dry at the time of the crash and alcohol was not a factor in the accident, which was reported at 3:42 p.m. Monday.

The Cold Spring Police Department, Chain of Lakes Fire Department and the Paynesville Ambulance assisted at the scene.

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Stearns County authorities investigate crash that left one dead

Forum News Service — Fri, 21 Aug 2020 22:22:34 GMT

RICHMOND, Minn. — A 69-year-old man was pronounced dead Wednesday, Aug. 19, at the scene of a single-vehicle accident north of Richmond in Stearns County.

The victim was identified as Michael Spleiss, 69, of Richmond.

The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office reported that Spleiss was driving a 1985 Ford pickup south on County Road 9 in Munson Township at 11:38 p.m. Wednesday when it left the roadway and struck multiple driveway approaches. The vehicle came to rest on a fence line. Spleiss was pronounced dead.

He was wearing a seat belt. He was the lone occupant of the vehicle.

The crash remains under investigation.

The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Cold Spring-Richmond Police Department, Minnesota State Patrol, Chain of Lakes Fire and Rescue, and Mayo Ambulance.

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Virginia Gov. Northam refuses to step down, now says it's not him in racist photo

Washington Post — Sun, 03 Feb 2019 15:22:00 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. - Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam faced the national uproar over a racist photo from his 1984 medical school yearbook on Saturday and refused to resign, defying nearly the entire Democratic establishment and insisting that it was not his picture.

"I am not the person in that photo that caused this stir," Northam, a Democrat, told media packed into the Executive Mansion, referring to the image of a person dressed in blackface and another in a Ku Klux Klan robe on his yearbook page.

"Last night I finally had a chance to sit down and look at the photo in detail,"said Northam, adding that he does not own the yearbook and it was the first time he had ever seen the photo. "It is not me."

It was a complete and puzzling turnaround from the day before, when Northam apologized for appearing in a "clearly racist" photo in the yearbook. But even as he denied being in the photo, he acknowledged he once applied black shoe polish to his face to appear as Michael Jackson in a dance competition.

Northam's comments seemed to have the opposite effect than intended. Calls for his resignation instensified from leaders across the country. The loudest came from state and national Democrats, with some even wondering about impeachment.

"We amplify our call for the Governor to resign," the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, a key Democratic constituency and one-time ally of Northam's, said in a statement. "Our confidence in his ability to govern for the over 8 million Virginians has been eviscerated."

After the press conference, the state's two Democratic senators, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, and Rep. Bobby Scott, the dean of the Virginia congressional delegation, called Northam and told him he needed to step down.

Douglas Wilder, the former Virginia governor and first African-American to lead a state since Reconstruction, said "It is difficult for anyone who watched the press conference today to conclude that (Northam) has any other choice ... but to resign."

The governor, 59, struggled to explain himself at his press conference, saying that when the image first became public Friday afternoon, the public reaction was so swift and intense, he felt compelled to apologize.

But he said he now believes there was a mixup at publication that allowed someone else's photo to get printed on his yearbook page. He said his staffers were investigating and they might use facial recognition software to confirm his suspicions.

Two classmates of Northam's at Eastern Virginia Medical �� said Saturday that they had never seen him in costumes like those that appear in the photo on his yearbook page. However, they were at a loss to explain how a mix-up might have occurred that would result in the racist image being placed on his page in error, because students were responsible for submitting their own photos.

The vast majority of the pages in the medical school yearbook contained standard photos of graduates in business clothes and family snaps. Northam's page stood out, along with one other on a nearby page.

Throughout the press conference, carried live on national television, Northam repeatedly spoke about his honor. Above all else, the governor sees himself as a man of integrity and he was painfully aware that most of his listeners thought he was lying, so he worked hard to convince them he was telling the truth.

The governor's wife, Pam Northam, stood to the right of her husband, looking grim, as he fielded questions and tried, again and again, to explain himself.

The son of a circuit court judge, Northam served as president of the Honor Court his senior year at Virginia Military Institute. Known among students as "the pope," the position is considered the most prestigious at the university, one that sits in judgement of any student accused of lying or violating the honor code. Northam recited the code during his news conference: "A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, nor tolerate those who do."

"I tell the truth," he said. "I'm telling the truth today."

Whether or not they believed him, most leaders in the state said the damage was beyond mending in a state that is marking the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first Africans in America, brought on slave ships.

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring, D, called on Northam to resign.

"It is no longer possible for Governor Northam to lead our Commonwealth and it is time for him to step down," Herring said. "I have spoken with Lieutenant Governor Fairfax and assured him that, should he ascend to the governorship, he will have my complete support and commitment to ensuring his success and the success of our Commonwealth.

Herring had announced his intention to run for governor in 2021 in what was expected to be a primary fight between Herring and Fairfax.

If Northam were to leave office, he would be succeeded by Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, D, who would become just the fourth African-American governor in modern U.S. history.

If Fairfax becomes governor, he would serve the three remaining years of Northam's term and be in a strong position to run for a full four-year term.

Northam met with Fairfax early Friday evening and apologized for the photo, telling him at the time that he had no memory of it but that he took responsibility because it was on his page, Fairfax told reporters Saturday.

"He said at the time, 'I don't recall the party or taking that particular photo, but it's on my page and I'm sorry,'" Fairfax said.

National Democrats, concerned that Northam will become a liability for 2020 Democratic hopefuls and threaten Democratic control of an important swing state, were unrelenting in their demands that he step aside. After speaking with Northam, Tom Perez, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, released a statement that said Northam lost his ability to govern.

Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, was even more strident. "We are deeply disappointed in Gov. Ralph Northam's decision to not resign today," he said. "His failure to take accountability for his actions is sickening."

The head of the state Republican party immediately called for Northam's resignation on Friday and House Speaker Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights, and Senate Majority Leader Thomas Norment Jr., R-James City, followed suit on Saturday.

Cable television devoted hours to the controversy and social media lit up with #ResignRalph hashtags. Calls to resign also came from former vice president Joe Biden - who had campaigned for Northam - and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., as well as Democratic presidential hopefuls Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Julián Castro, a former mayor of San Antonio.

If Northam resigns, he would be the first Virginia governor to step down while in office since the Civil War.

With the Democratic leadership lined up against him, Northam huddled Friday and Saturday with advisers, his pastor and his family, discussing a completely different outcome to the saga: He wanted to soldier on and use the episode to heal the state's racial divisions.

Still, he alluded to other actions in his past, and disclosed that in 1984 he won a dance contest in San Antonio where he wore dark shoe polish on his cheeks as part of a Michael Jackson costume. He seemed ready to demonstrate his moonwalk in response to a reporter's question, but the teary-eyed first lady dissuaded him.

"I have made mistakes in my past but I am a person of my word, I have great friends on both sides of the aisle," Northam said. "I will work hard to maintain their faith in me and my ability to lead and hopefully together we'll move forward."

Northam said if he felt he wasn't able to function effectively, he would revisit the issue "and make decisions."

Until this point, Northam had enjoyed strong approval ratings from voters. A December poll from the Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University found 59 percent of voters - including 32 percent of Republicans - approved of Northam's perfomance as governor.

On Saturday, many of those voters were unsure what to think of their governor.

"I'm really torn and upset," said Juanita Gartman, 62, a nurse and former union organizer from Nikesville, south of Manassas. "I don't know what he should do, to be honest."

She condemned the photo, but could not bring herself to call for his resignation.

"It was an incredibly stupid thing for him to do, even in 1983," she said. "If Northam needs to resign, so does [Supreme Court Justice Brett] Kavanaugh and [President Donald] Trump. People make horrible mistakes, and this is going to hurt him politically if he stays there, because the Republicans smell blood."

Ivania Castillo, 52, voted for Northam for governor and met him several times. While she loves what he has done in office, she thinks he has to resign.

"He is kind, soft, very close to the Hispanic community," said Castillo, an immigrant from El Salvador who works for Casa in Action in Prince William County. "For me, I cried when I saw that picture. It's very racist and the pain that the African-American community feels now is like the pain we feel from Donald Trump and his government."

The yearbook page is labeled "Ralph Shearer Northam" and has photos of him in a jacket and tie, casual clothes and alongside his restored Corvette.

Another photo shows two people, one in plaid pants, bow tie and blackface and the other in a Klan robe. Both appear to be holding beer cans. The person in blackface is smiling. Beneath the photo, Northam lists his alma mater and his interest in pediatrics and offers a quote: "There are more old drunks than old doctors in this world so I think I'll have another beer."

Tobin Naidorf, who also graduated in 1984 and is now a gastroenterologist in Alexandria, said he did not recall the exact procedure for submitting photos to the yearbook staff. However, he said he was the only person who could have submitted the family photos that appeared on his own page.

The yearbook image was first posted Friday by the website Big League Politics, a conservative outlet founded by Patrick Howley, a former writer for the Daily Caller and Breitbart.

The Washington Post independently confirmed the authenticity of the yearbook by viewing it in the medical school library in Norfolk.

The revelation comes after a wild week for Northam, who was accused by Republicans of advocating infanticide after he made comments defending a bill that would have lifted restrictions on late-term abortions. It was more surprising because Northam has billed himself as the political antidote to Donald Trump - an aw-shucks leader with a boring speaking style and a reputation for honesty. He gained the trust of Republicans, who worked with him last year to pass Medicaid expansion in the state after four years of resisting it under the previous governor, McAuliffe.

Northam grew up on the Eastern Shore of Virginia in the fishing village of Onancock. His father was a judge and his mother a schoolteacher. Northam and his brother attended a desegregated public high school, where Northam played basketball and baseball.

Northam has built his 12-year political career on a clean-cut image as a soft-spoken doctor and Army veteran who has volunteered at a pediatric hospice.

First elected to the state Senate from Norfolk in 2007, Northam has had a charmed political career. He was courted by Republicans because of his conservative leanings, and was identified early by Kaine, who was then governor, as gubernatorial material because of his experience in both health care and the military. Northam served in the Army for eight years after medical school and treated soldiers wounded in the Persian Gulf War.

After serving as McAuliffe's lieutenant governor, Northam ran for governor in 2017 and easily beat Republican Ed Gillespie, whom he accused of running racist attack ads against him.

This article was written by Greg Schneider and Laura Vozzella, reporters for The Washington Post.

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