A Funeral Service for Fay Bechtel will be held at 1:00 PM, Thursday, February 2, at the Hollyview Baptist Church in Damascus. Burial will follow at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Gresham.
Fay died peacefully at her daughter and son in law’s home in Boring on Saturday January 21, 2012 at the age of 88. She had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and had recently broken her hip.
She was born, Luella Fay to Edgar and Ruby (Hoagland) Buchanan in Roseberry, Idaho. She was the oldest of 6 children. Fay was raised in Roseberry and received her elementary education there. She attended high school in Donnelly, Idaho and graduated. During Fay’s high school years, she worked in a packing plant, sorting peas.
In 1940, Fay was married to Ross Muller. They made their home in New Meadows, Idaho and began their family there. They were later divorced after 17 years of marriage. In 1962, Fay, was re-married to Vern Bechtel, in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. They lived in New Meadows, Idaho where Faye worked as a waitress. Fay and Vern moved to Oregon and made their home in the Gresham and Rockwood areas where Fay was a plant nursery worker. In 1976, they moved to Cove, Oregon near LaGrande where she enjoyed retirement. Fay moved to her daughter and son in laws home in September of 2010 as her health was failing and her husband was unable to care for her.
Fay enjoyed playing spelling games and in her young years, she participated in spelling B’s. She loved to garden both vegetables and flowers and picked the dandelions by the roots so they wouldn’t spread. She did ceramics, Tole painting, quilted, sewed and did crocheting for many years and enjoyed reading up until her eyes began to deteriorate. In her earlier years, she enjoyed playing the guitar. Fay had a special love for animals, especially dogs and cats. Fay was a very loving and caring soul and was always there for anyone that needed anything. She helped raise her siblings and helped care for parents and in-laws.
Mrs. Bechtel is survived by her husband Vern of Cove; her sons, Ron Muller of Caldwell, Idaho, Monte Muller of Gresham, Mike Bechtel of Boring, Kelly Bechtel of Gresham; her only daughter, Carol Alexander of Boring; her brothers, Eldon Buchanan of Merridian, Idaho and Allen Buchanan of Weiser, Idaho; her sisters, Lois Hunt of Gresham and Mildred Martin of Bakersfield, California; 12 grandchildren and many great and great grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her sister, Irene Draper and her son Bill Muller this last November.