BECHTEL, Loren

BECHTEL, JONES, ARNDT, CARLSON

Posted By: Lynette Edsall (email)
Date: 8/17/2008 at 17:24:09

Loren Bechtel, 81, of Cherokee Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008, at a Sioux City hospital following a brief illness.

Services will be 10:30 a.m. Monday at St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Cherokee, with the Rev. Magrey deVega officiating. Burial will be in Oak Hill Cemetery at Cherokee. Visitation will be 1 to 9 p.m. today, with the family present 6 to 8 p.m., at Greenwood Funeral Home in Cherokee. Online condolences may be left at www.greenwoodfuneral.com.

Loren was born July 15, 1927, in Hudson, S.D., to Earl and Phoebe (Jones) Bechtel. Their family moved to Cherokee in 1931. Loren attended Wilson High School, graduating in 1945 as valedictorian of his class. After his schooling, he joined the U.S. Air Force and was stationed in Germany. He decoded intercepted documents in the service.

On Nov. 7, 1953, he married Arlis Arndt at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa. Loren worked for Cherokee Bottling Company for many years serving as director and secretary for the business. He then started his own business, Solarway Signs. In 1965. he became a State Farm agent where he worked for 25 years, retiring in 1991.

Loren enjoyed fishing, bowling and golfing. He traveled south in the winter to watch the Chicago Cubs spring ball in Mesa, Ariz. He was an avid Cubs fan his whole life. Loren was a longtime member of the Rotary Club and Cherokee Country Club. He will be greatly missed by all.

He is survived by his wife, Arlis; sons, Steve Bechtel of Cherokee, Bob Bechtel and his wife, Rhonda of Cherokee; a daughter, Lisa Carlson and her husband, Barry of Cherokee; a brother, Don Bechtel of Cherokee; eight grandchildren, Chad, Jessica, Alyssa, Carl and Stephanie Bechtel, Brandon, Jodi and Lynn Carlson; four great-grandchildren; sisters-in-law, Betty Bechtel of Cherokee, and Marilyn Bechtel of Hampton, Iowa; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, Dale and Jerry Bechtel; and a granddaughter.