United States Army Specialist Brandon Steffey with his K-9 partner, Maci. Army Specialist Brandon Keith Steffey, 23, of Sault Ste. Marie died Sunday, October 25, 2009, while serving in Afghanistan.

He was born October 6, 1986, in Sault Ste. Marie to Dennis Steffey and Rachel Humpf. He was graduated from Brimley High School in 2005 after transferring from Sault Area High School during his senior year.

He enjoyed playing hockey, wrestling, and baseball. Family and friends described him as polite and kind, with a contagious laugh.

He was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, and was deployed to Afghanistan in May, where he worked at Forward Operating Base Fenty Kennels in the Laghman Province as a combat tracking dog handler. This was his second tour of duty in the Middle East. His first was in Iraq in 2007, when he worked as a gunner. Spc. Steffey was traveling on assignment when a roadside bomb exploded, killing him and his K-9 partner, Maci.

He is survived by his wife, Andrea, and daughter, Abigail Grace, of San Antonio, Texas; parents Dennis Steffey and Rachel and David Humpf, all of Sault Ste. Marie; a sister, Heather Steffey, of Sault Ste. Marie; a nephew, Connor VanLuven; his best friend, Nicholas Frazier of Sault Ste. Marie; uncles and their families, Michael and Cynthia Steffey, and Bill Steffey, both of San Antonio, Texas, Joel and Freida Clary of Green Bay, Wisconsin; his fatherin law, David Kurimski of Johnson City, Texas; his mother-in-law, Chrystal Glig of San Antonio, Texas; an aunt and her family, Helen and Randal Hass of Washington, Michigan, and grandparents Bob and Nita Clary of Sault Ste. Marie.

He was preceded in death by his grandmother, Madeline Southall.

Monday, November 2, various veterans groups and members of the U.S. Coast Guard took part in a procession to bring Spc. Steffey from Chippewa County International Airport to Sault Ste. Marie, where hundreds of residents lined up along the streets to honor him as the procession passed. Visitation for Spc. Steffey will be Wednesday, November 4, at Sault Area High School from noon to 4 p.m. A funeral with full military honors will follow at 4 p.m., with Major Roger Rhodes officiating.

Clark Bailey Newhouse Funeral Home of Sault Ste. Marie is assisting the family with arrangements.