Billie Steffee
Billie Steffee, the matriarch of Craighead Farm of Novelty, Ohio, and one of the most generous and loving people we’ve ever met, has died following a long battle with cancer. All of us at PhelpsSports.com and PMG send our heartfelt condolences to Billie’s family and friends in this time of sorrow, especially to David.
Billie bought Craighead Farms in the early 70’s and began a breeding operation that eventually featured All the Gold, one of America’s breeding success stories. All the Gold came from Jessamy Rouson, Keswick, VA in 1987. All The Gold was both a performance stallion as well as a breeding stallion until his retirement from the show ring in 1994.
The Steffee’s also operated After Hours Farm, located in the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.
Billie supported many organizations, including IHF, IJF, USET, KY Horse Park and the KY Horse Park Foundation, the American Gold Cup and the Rider’s Club. In the Chagrin Valley PHA Horse Show she sponsored the Welcome Stake, Sportsmanship Award, Hunter Derby and The Grand Prix. She was a member of the Chagrin Valley Hunt Club and on the Board of Directors.
Interestingly, Billiee was a member of The Miss Independent Group sponsoring Laura Kraut and Miss Independent throughout her international career. She and the USA came in 2nd at the Aachen World Equestrian Games in 2006.
Outside the horse world, Billie was the president of the Billie Howland Steffee Family Fund of the Cleveland Foundation, a life trustee of the Cleveland Metro Park Zoological Society and a life trustee (or champion) of Fieldstone Farm Therapeutic Riding Center.She was the mother of David Steffee, Steffee Surfaces (owner), and mother in law to Laura, and grandmother to Abby, Sydney and Dawson.
The main focus of the Steffee Family Fund is to diminish the impact of gangs and gang violence in the city of Cleveland, which is a far cry from the world of horse shows and show horses.
The Steffee fund, for instance, helped make possible the zoo’s veterinary hospital, the Sarah Allison Steffee Center for Zoological Medicine, which bears her late daughter’s name. In all, the fund has provided more than $3 million in grants to the zoo
This wonderful and generous lady will be missed by all that knew her. Her legend, however, will live on through all of her work through her fine foundations.