Forsyth County to Dedicate Memorial Road for Fallen Spc. Zachary Steele

Spc. Zachary Evan Steele, a North Forsyth High School graduate who deployed to Kuwait with the Georgia Army National Guard before dying on a Cumming road at 21, will have that same road named in his honor on April 20, the day he would have turned 22.

Forsyth County Government has scheduled the dedication ceremony for 11 a.m. along Pilgrim Mill Road in Cumming, where the "SPC Zachary Evan Steele Memorial Road" designation will be officially unveiled. The April 20 date is deliberate: Steele was born on that date in 2004 at DeKalb Medical Center in Decatur, and would have celebrated his 22nd birthday this year. His parents, Jason and Mary Steele of Cumming, raised him alongside three siblings in Forsyth County, and the family became known in the community by the affectionate nickname "Steelebillies."

The portion of Pilgrim Mill Road being named is also the site of Steele's death. He was fatally struck by a box truck on July 22, 2025, while riding his motorcycle to his unit's armory to report for duty. A Cumming man was subsequently charged with vehicular homicide in connection with the crash.

The road-naming process began not with the county, but with the community. After Steele's death, his family and supporters launched a Change.org petition calling on Forsyth County to designate that stretch of Pilgrim Mill Road in his name. The petition noted that Steele had been traveling the road specifically to fulfill his military duty at the time of the collision. It reached the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners, which voted unanimously to approve the dedication resolution at their February 19, 2026, regular meeting.

That path, from community petition to unanimous commission vote, follows a process Forsyth County has used before. The county has previously renamed roads to honor two fallen deputies and two fallen firefighters, establishing a formal tradition of permanent tribute for those who died in service. Steele's designation extends that tradition to a deployed combat veteran.

His service record reflected deliberate choices at every step. Steele graduated from North Forsyth High School in 2022 and enrolled at the University of North Georgia's Dahlonega Campus before deciding to pause his academics, reclass to Infantry, and deploy to Kuwait in 2024. His military decorations at the time of his death included the Army Achievement Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Overseas Service Medal, and Georgia Army National Guard Recruiting Ribbon.

Those who knew Steele described someone whose priorities ran in order: God, family, and the military. He was known for bodybuilding, fishing, camping, country music, cowboy boots, motorcycles, and exotic cars, and those close to him remembered a "huge heart for the underdog" and a persistent instinct to make people around him laugh and smile.

Following Steele's death, a GoFundMe was established in his memory and a memorial motorcycle ride was organized in his honor, both drawing wide community support. The April 20 ceremony on Pilgrim Mill Road is open to the public and begins at 11 a.m. Residents traveling that corridor that morning should expect activity near the dedication site. When the ceremony concludes, the "SPC Zachary Evan Steele Memorial Road" designation will be permanent, on a stretch of road Cumming residents drive daily and that Steele last traveled on July 22, 2025, heading to his unit.