At 100, a WWII Veteran Became the Oldest Organ Donor in U.S. History

Dale Steele lived a full century, served his country in World War II, and in his final act gave a stranger the chance to live. When he died in February 2026 at the age of 100, his liver was successfully transplanted into a recipient just one day later—making the Nebraska veteran the oldest organ donor in United States history.

His family could hardly believe it was possible. “How could that even be?” his son, Roger Steele, wondered aloud, struggling to understand how a 100-year-old man’s liver could still be healthy enough to save another life. The answer lies in a quirk of human biology: the liver continuously regenerates its cells, so that its functional age is typically less than three years old, regardless of how many birthdays its owner has counted.

“When he died in February 2026 at the age of 100, his liver was successfully transplanted into a recipient just one day later—making the Nebraska veteran the oldest organ donor in United States history.”

Kyle Herber, CEO of Live On Nebraska, saw in Steele’s donation a chance to dismantle a stubborn misconception. “One of the myths we hear out in the community often, is that ‘I’m too old to be an organ donor,’” he said. Dale Steele, dying at 100 and saving a life the next morning, is perhaps the most powerful possible rebuttal to that belief.

The need is enormous. More than 100,000 people in the United States are waiting for an organ transplant, and roughly 17 of them die each day before a match arrives. Against that backdrop, the story of a centenarian veteran who gave one last gift—surrounded by his wife Doris and his family—is both moving and instructive. A long life lived well ended with one more act of service, and somewhere a stranger woke up with a future because of it.