Susan Love
Forty members of the Monday SaddleBrooke One Bridge Club honored Faye Steele with birthday cake on Feb. 10 after their game. Faye celebrated her 94th birthday on Valentine’s Day, 2025.
Faye has been a bridge player for over 70 years. She first learned the game in college at Purdue University, Indiana. She credits bridge for keeping her sharp and active. Faye has worked in costume design for theater arts and as the director of a junior golf program.
A SaddleBrooke resident for 33 years, Faye was present at the start of duplicate bridge in the community in 1992. Sally Allison introduced duplicate bridge to SaddleBrooke, first organizing women-only games on Wednesday mornings on the dance floor at the clubhouse (now The Vistas restaurant). Faye recalls it being more about learning than competition, with 20 to 40 women—many of them golfers—participating. After games, Barbara Feeley offered bridge lessons. Faye remembers the women brought their own lunch and ate while learning. Robson soon offered $2 lunches after bridge, but when the price was slightly increased, the women were outraged.
Faye stated, “There were lots and lots of men who played [bridge]. They were all outstanding players. I don’t know where they’ve gone, unless they’ve gone to Northwest [local bridge club near Sun City Oro Valley] to get points. I don’t know. I do remember a lot of hot-shot men.”
Faye is affectionately known as the club’s “Sunshine Lady.” For the past seven years, she has shared celebratory and health updates about our bridge family members before play begins every Monday afternoon and Wednesday morning. She makes phone calls, sends cards, and leads the group in singing “Happy Birthday.”
Faye was once an avid and accomplished golfer but stepped away from the game a few years ago. However, she still assists with SaddleBrooke golf tournaments. Faye continues to play duplicate bridge two or three times a week.