Avenue of Heroes: Donald F. Steuer

Prepared by: Ann Steuer (wife) and Lee Steuer (daughter)

Captain Donald F. Steuer was born June 22, 1951, in Milwaukee. He graduated from Holy Cross Seminary High School in La Crosse in 1969 and from St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, in 1973. He completed Aviation Officer Candidate School in October 1974, earning his Navy Wings of Gold.

In November 1974, he reported to Naval Air Station Corpus Christi as a search and rescue pilot, where he met his wife, Ann. They married in the base chapel in 1976. Steuer later reported to Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron (HS) 11 at NAS Jacksonville, Florida, and began a series of extended deployments, spending all but 88 days of the next two years at sea.

His career included service as aide to the director of Naval Systems Analysis Division, flag secretary for Cruiser Destroyer Group 3/Battlegroup Bravo, and operations officer with HS 4. In 1988, after screening for command, he became executive officer and then commanding officer of HS 8, participating in Operation Desert Shield. Following studies at the Naval War College, he commanded HS 10 and later served as helicopter requirements officer in the Naval Air Warfare Directorate. From 1995 to 1998, he commanded NAS North Island. His final Navy assignment was chief of staff, NATO Naval Striking and Support Forces, Southern Europe, where he participated in Operation Allied Force/Liberation of Kosovo.

Steuer deployed on six aircraft carriers and several surface ships. His awards include the Secretary of Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, three Navy Meritorious Service Medals, three Navy Commendation Medals, the NATO Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, and Navy Unit Commendation. In 1998, while commanding NAS North Island, he received the Harry Jenkins Memorial Award from the Coronado Chamber of Commerce. He also earned three master’s degrees during his career.

With the support of his wife, Ann, daughter Lee, and son Mark, Captain Steuer retired from the Navy in 2000. He returned to Coronado and began a 23-year career with San Diego County, serving as chief financial officer and later as chief operating officer/assistant chief administrative officer, retiring in 2023.

Active in the Coronado community, Steuer coached youth soccer and Little League, received the Outstanding Scout Master Award for leading Boy Scout Troop 801, and now serves as an elder with Graham Memorial Presbyterian Church.

The Avenue of Heroes military service recognition program is sponsored by the City of Coronado. Established in 2014, the program has honored 309 hometown heroes to date, with another 14 to be recognized on November 1, 2025. City staff and dedicated volunteers from Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2422, the Coronado Historical Association, and the Third and Fourth Streets Neighborhood Association oversee the program’s operation.

The program was inspired in 2011, when the Coronado community spontaneously came together to honor the passage of two Navy SEALs to their final resting place. As news spread, members of the local Rotary Club handed out American flags, and residents lined Fourth Street in tribute. As the procession neared the Coronado Bridge, a lone Navy SEAL stood at attention, saluting his fallen comrades. In that moment, it became clear that Third and Fourth streets were already an Avenue of Heroes.

That moment inspired the City to formalize the program, which officially launched in May 2015 with 18 banners. Since then, the Avenue of Heroes has served as a lasting reminder of Coronado’s deep military roots and enduring legacy of service.

In 2014, Coronado resident Toni McGowan, a devoted advocate for honoring local military members, helped transform the idea into a lasting tradition. Her tireless efforts led the City to designate State Route 282—Third and Fourth streets from Orange Avenue to Naval Air Station North Island—as the “Coronado Avenue of Heroes” and to adopt the companion banner ceremony.

McGowan also worked with the Third and Fourth Streets Neighborhood Association and other partners to have the Avenue of Heroes designated as a Blue Star Memorial Highway, a tribute to the nation’s Armed Forces. The State of California granted this designation in January 2017. Although McGowan passed away in 2019, her dedication and vision continue to inspire the program today.