Autrey Steilling has traveled to both the North and South Pole, but these days his heart lies in helping those in his hometown of Marysville.

An active and involved retiree, Steilling shows few signs of slowing down. A volunteer with the Marysville Historical Society, the Marysville man took on the challenge of chairing the organization's recent Spring Tea event along with his other ongoing duties at the temporary museum at 1508-B Third Street.

"It's important for us to know our history, so we can learn from the mistakes of the past," said the genial Steilling. "This group [the Historical Society] is serving the community in very tangible ways, and I'm happy to help with that."

Steilling was born nearly 70 years ago in Montana, a "country boy" at heart. His father, a rancher and "powder monkey" who worked at copper and coal mines in Montana and Roslyn, Washington, died when the young boy was only 7 years old. He and his mom, along with his sister Linda and brother Mike, moved to Ballard.

In 1958, when he was 16 years old, young Steilling enlisted in the U.S. Navy, ready to see the world. "I knew I'd be drafted, and I couldn't envision myself sleeping in a foxhole and eating out of tin cans," he said with a smile. Life aboard a Navy ship, traveling to exotic ports, seemed more his style.

Trained as a machinery repairman, he spent time in San Diego before being assigned to Jacksonville, Florida, on a crash boat tasked with rescuing ditched aircraft off the coastline. He was also required to complete firefighter training at the Florida base.

But Steilling yearned for adventure, and he was given the chance to fulfill that yearning when he was accepted for a hazardous duty mission called Operation Deep Freeze, headed to the South Pole. Aboard the glacier breaker U.S.S. Edisto, dubbed "Steady Eddy" by its crew, Steilling spent eight months in frigid conditions.

The young man participated in geodetic surveys, tracking oceanography, weather and sea life in the subarctic conditions. The crew also tested clothing and weaponry in the extreme weather.

"We were told there was a girl behind every tree," he laughed. "The problem was, there were no trees."

Coming home from that first mission, the Edisto ran into a typhoon that threw up 80-foot waves with 110-knot winds at a temperature of 74 degrees below zero. The ship's radioman sent a cryptic message, "The U.S.S. Edisto has a very large bear by a very small tail." The Steady Eddy rode out the storm for more than a week, during which time communication was lost. The Navy concluded that the ship and all hands on board had been lost at sea.

The ship had, in fact, survived, and the crew members were rewarded for their stubbornness by being sent to Honolulu for repairs and R&R.

Steilling set sail on two more cruises to the Antarctic, and headed north to the Arctic four times during his Navy stint. Some missions were for rescue purposes, as in 1961 when his ship headed to the Aleutian Islands to break the ice and open passage for Russian access to a remote fishing village. Some were strategic or exploratory in nature.

"I spent six years in Uncle Sam's canoe club," said Steilling, and nearly half that time he was surrounded by ice.

When he left the Navy, he returned to his home port in Boston, where he met and married his wife of 35 years, Carol. Together they moved back to Washington state and raised three children, Tracy, Joseph and Erica, all of whom live in Snohomish County. The loving couple was also blessed with eleven grandchildren.

In 2001 Carol passed away. Although devastated by his loss, Steilling is not the kind of man who adapts well to solitary life. He continued to take part in community and church activities, and in early 2005 he met another extraordinary woman, Sharon Thorsen.

The Marysville woman became Steilling's companion for breakfast after church, and he "finally got up the nerve to ask her on a date."

On the first date, Steilling gave her one rose, and he added another rose for each successive outing. He told Thorsen, "You have until we get to a dozen to decide if you want to keep me around."

On September 24, 2005, the two were married. Steilling gained more than a wife from the deal. He also became stepfather to Thorsen's developmentally disabled grown daughter, Lisa. He made it clear to Sharon from the start that "if she's your daughter, she's my daughter."

In support of Lisa's needs, Steilling has become a volunteer with EagleWings disAbility and Village Community Services' Voices of the Village choir.

A retired Boeing employee, Steilling has also worked for Trace Engineering and Lee Myles Transmission, and spent time as a long-haul trucker of hazardous materials. A voracious reader and devotee of the Discovery Channel, he made a vow at age 16 to "learn one new thing a day, no matter how small."

But community service is his real passion. These days he enjoys a busy volunteer schedule, which also includes dedicating time to the local American Legion post.

"People need to help each other, and that's it," Steilling said simply. "When I can help somebody else, that's the best thing in the world."

His helpful nature is demonstrated in his ready smile and infectious laughter. "If everybody would just walk down the street with a smile on their face, the world would be a better place." Explaining his sunny attitude, he said, "It takes a lot more muscles to frown than to smile, and I'm lazy."

Lazy is hardly a word that would seem to fit Autrey Steilling. As Marysville Historical Society president Ken Cage observed, "I wish I could clone him."

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