Randall Eugene Bechtold

Although his life drew to a close much too soon, Randall Bechtold was a vibrant and hard working man who lived life to the fullest each day. He was a man of great strength and honor who was a firm believer in the notion that everything in life is to be earned whether the clothes on your back or the respect of those around you. Randy was a devoted husband and father who, together with his wife, was so proud to watch his children grow into adults.His oldest three children starting families of their own and giving him eight grandchildren to watch run around the farm.He admired his youngest daughters drive to study law, and his youngest sons choice of becoming a United States Marine.It has been said that he died in the same way that he lived - on his own terms. Randy will be deeply missed, but the timeless legacy he leaves behind will be carried on by those who follow in his footsteps. He was always first to help a friend or family member when they needed something.

It seems only fitting that Randys journey began during a time that was as colorful as he was. It was the 1950s, the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union was underway, blue jeans became part of our wardrobe, and James Dean made young girls swoon on the silver screen.Elvis, who Randy proudly shared a birthday with and became a fan of, was king.It was on January 8, 1951, that Melvin E. and Doris I. (Ulrey) Bechtold, of Wabash, Indiana, were blessed with the birth of the healthy baby boy they named Randall Eugene. He was one of three children in his family and was raised in the family home alongside his brother, Dennis, and his sister, Sue.

In many ways Randall, or Randy as he was usually known, experienced an upbringing that was typical for the youth of his generation. As a young boy the Bechtold family moved to the family farm where Randys father still lives today. The move started on Christmas Day, right after opening their presents. Family members remember how ill Randy was with double pneumonia and become so sick he had to go stay with his Aunt until the family move was complete. He enjoyed things like playing baseball and riding horses, including his favorite horse Trigger, which he continued to do throughout his entire life. Randy was a student at local schools including Columbia City High School where he played both baseball and basketball and graduated in 1969. As an adult he enjoyed keeping up his athletic skills by playing in church softball leagues and on various other basketball leagues.

Randy was just 15 when he entered the workforce, establishing a strong work ethic that would be his constant companion. He started out in excavating and in transporting excavating equipment. After working all day at his job, Randy built his first house, laying each brick by hand.A gentleman noticed that Randy was frequently outside at night working by the light of a spotlight. The man saw Randys hard work and stopped by to chat. Seeing all of the hard work that he was doing and what he did for a living, the gentleman offered Randy a job with the company that he co-owned. In August of 1973, he started working for Fox Contractors Corporation where he remained until he retired in January of 2014. Around work Randys buddies called him, REB. In addition, Randy was a member of the International Union of Operating Engineers since 1970.

New and exciting changes were in store for Randy when he met the woman of his dreams. It was while working on a job at the Winchester Airport in 1988 that their meeting began to unfold. In an effort to keep the dust down on the job site, Randy traveled over to the water department to fill up their water tanker. Being a man who was always right, he bet the lady in the office that he knew just how much his tanker held when trying to figure out gallons into cubic feet. That lady was Angie Rittenhouse, and it was she who proved to be right! The rest is history as they say, since two years later they were married on November 9, 1990, at Nine Mile United Methodist Church by Rev. Leonard King. They went on to write a love story that would span 24 years. In addition to being a devoted husband, Randy was also a loving father to his five children including Lance, Renee, Brandon, Clint, and Kristine.

Randy and Angie moved to their dream farm in 2004 where they enjoyed farming and working together. He enjoyed riding horses since he was young boy and later enjoyed taking his fathers Haflinger team to horse pulls and corn husking competitions. The first Christmas on his dream farm he wanted to ride one of the horses. He had Clint shove his snow boots into the stirrups and just when he made it all the way back into the woods, he saw nothing but a big cloud of snow. The horse had tried bucking him off and his boots were caught and down they both went with Randy being left on the ground in the snow drift and horse trotting back to the barn. His kids went back on the snowmobiles to rescue him and bring him back to the house. He put his western boots on and got back on the horse in the round pin and rode him until they both were worn out, Randys forehead was bleeding from the scuffle and looked worse than it actually was.

Throughout his entire life Randy was a bustle of activity. He was an outdoor enthusiast who enjoyed farming, hunting, fishing, golfing, and riding his Harley. He enjoyed water skiing and tubing with friends even though he didnt know how to swim. These friends would tease him about using 2 life jackets just in case he fell in. Some of the same friends are who he went snowmobiling with, and they affectionately nicknamed him Stucky.These same friends decided one summer day to ride their snowmobiles across one of the friends pond and of course he had to try and didnt quite make it the first time. He dried the sled out and had to try it again and he didnt make it the second time either. In fact he didnt even make it as far as his first attempt and sank it yet again. When he shot his last deer he took two shots and as it turned out he got a bit more than expected.After returning to the house, Randy received a phone call about the second Deere he shot. Apparently, one of the two bullets went through the deer, across the road, and hit a farmers John Deere tractor. That hunting expedition resulted not only in a nice wall mount, but also in the payment for a new window for the tractor! In addition, Randy enjoyed the annual tractor pulls at Arcola and Roanoke where he would grade and rake the track to get it ready for the next set of pulls. Randy was an avid hat collector who never passed over an opportunity to add one to his collection while out and about despite the fact that his collection included more than 2,000! He was an avid Bobby Knight and Indiana University fan.He would frequently attend the Purdue University home basketball games when they played Indiana University.His seats were in the Purdue Alumni section and would cheer for the Hoosiers, much to the chagrin one elderly lady alum in particular that held season tickets for the seats directly behind him.As with many of the people that Randy came in to contact with, the woman had some disagreement with his views of the game, but as always, eventually became a fan of his.They both looked forward to the next yearly disagreement.He was also a fan of the Colts and Bears, and after Peyton Manning left the Colts, he also became a Broncos fan. During his younger years Randy was the coach of his son Lances Little League, and supported all of his childrens athletic endeavors.

Just this past April Randy and his loved ones were given a tough pill to swallow when he was diagnosed with cancer. His focus never changed however, as he continued to be all about work. Even when he was bedridden with hospice care Randy kept talking about work and all the work that needed to be done around his farm.

With unending love for those around him, Randall Eugene Bechtold was a gift to all who were near. He had a fun-loving personality and was well known for teasing others and just giving people a hard time. A devoted family man, Randy cherished every moment he had to spend with his loved ones. He will never be forgotten.

Randall Eugene Bechtold, of Churubusco, Ind., passed away at 12:30 a.m., Friday, November 14, 2014. Randys family includes his wife, Angela E. Bechtold; father, Melvin E. Bechtold of Columbia City; children, Lance E. Bechtold of Columbia City, Renee N. Platt of Huntington, Brandon S. (Tara) Rittenhouse of Churubusco, Lance Corporal Clinton K. Bechtold of Churubusco and Kristine A. Bechtold of Churubusco; brother, Dennis (Charlene) Bechtold of Columbia City; sister, Sue A. Bechtold of Warsaw; and eight grandchildren. Randy was preceded in death by his mother, Doris I. Bechtold. Visitation is from 2 to 8 p.m., Friday, November 21, 2014 at DeMoney-Grimes, a Life Story Funeral Home, 600 Countryside Drive, Columbia City. Funeral service will be at 10 a.m. on Saturday, November 22, 2014 at the funeral home with Pastor Dwayne Berna officiating. Burial will follow at Covington Memorial Gardens in Fort Wayne.

Memorials may be given in memory of Mr. Bechtold to United States Marine Corps Toys for Tots Program. You may give a monetary gift or feel free to bring an unwrapped toy and place under the Christmas tree in Randys visitation chapel.