BECHTUM, David (D.K.) 1949-2020

BECHTUM, PERRY, WILCOX

Posted By: K.L. Kittleson
Date: 11/7/2024 at 16:45:11

Obituary for David Bechtum

David (D.K.) Bechtum, age 70, of Riceville, Iowa, was called Home on Sunday, January 12, 2020, tending to the birth of an unexpected calf on his farm.

David was born October 16, 1949, in Charles City, Iowa, to Kenneth and Maxine (Perry) Bechtum. David married Marlis Wilcox in Maquoketa, Iowa, on July 11, 1982, and had three children. David’s commitment, fortitude, and fierce loyalty were his family’s great comfort and greatest lesson.

David graduated from Riceville High School in 1968. He went on to Iowa State University where he received a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine in 1974. David started his career as a veterinarian for Maquoketa Veterinary Services.

Two years later he transferred to their satellite location in Wyoming, Iowa, where he developed a love for both his profession and clients. Through David’s and Marlis’s dedication, and often sheer will, they eventually acquired the practice in 1988, and David enjoyed a successful, albeit brief, career.

In 1997, due to an illness that took most of his vision and nearly his life, he “retired” from his veterinary practice and moved with his wife and children to the family farm in Riceville where he took great joy in working alongside his parents and family to develop their cattle operation into a Historic Angus Herd. David deeply enjoyed welcoming his new calves each spring.

David loved being outdoors with family and friends. This often took the form of land stewardship projects, but hunting and fishing were a passion, and he had an abundance of great stories from various destinations. His grandchildren will always remember the big fish they caught with “Poppy” on their trips to the Northwoods.

David is survived by his wife, Marlis Bechtum of Riceville; three children: Elizabeth Bechtum of Rochester, Allison (Brandon) Borts of Altoona, Iowa, and Ted (Alyson) Bechtum of Waukee, Iowa; three grandchildren: Nolan Borts, Adalynn Bechtum, and Benjamin Bechtum; his mother, Maxine Bechtum of Riceville; a sister, Judy Bechtum of Webster, Minnesota; his mother-in-law, Mildred Wilcox of Maquoketa, Iowa; his sister-in-law, Sherri (Aaron) James of Maquoketa, and nieces, nephews, and cousins.

David is preceded in life by his father, Kenneth, father-in-law, Dean Wilcox, and a brother-in-law, Tom Wilcox.

SOURCE: Lindstrom Funeral Home, Riceville, IA