Virgle Duane Bechtold passed away on March 27, 2023.

Bechtold- Virgle Duane Bechtold passed away on March 27, 2023. He was born at the family farm near White River, South Dakota, on June 29, 1936. His parents, Emanuel and Ruth Bechtold, and all four of his siblings: Doris, Dean, Darlene, and Vernita preceded him in death. Virgle attended high school in White River, and then he attended Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on a Football Scholarship. In 1955, he married his high school sweetheart, Patricia Ann Patnoe. They moved to Florence, Oregon in 1962 where Virgle worked in the logging industry until around 1992, when he started his own business, Bechtold Construction. He retired in 2009. Virgle and Pat became snowbirds and joined cousins and friends for vacations in Arizona for many years. They also frequently travelled to South Dakota for class reunions, visits with friends and family, and most importantly for fishing.

Family was an important part of Virgle’s life. He and Pat hosted many family events and several family reunions at their home. Virgle had many hobbies. When he was younger, he enjoyed beach combing and hunting. He was a member of the Florence Elk and Moose Lodges, where he and Pat could often be found on the dance floor. Throughout his life he enjoyed gardening. The back patio always had an abundance of flowers, and he would send home tomatoes and cucumbers with all visitors.

Virgle is survived by his wife of sixty-seven years, Patricia Ann Bechtold, and their four children, Lory (Kevin), Doug, Don, and David (Cassie). Virgle and Pat have nine grandchildren: Michael, Austin (Alicia), Joel (Holly), Chelsea (Austin), Samuel, Kynan, Raudy, Kyler, and Beau, and five great-grandchildren: Henry, Penelope, Colson, Sutton, and Rosalie. This summer, the family plans to have a private gathering in honor of the deceased.   Burns’s Riverside Chapel Florence Funeral Home.