Asheville Butterfly Trail
I have many warm memories of Rev. Bechtel from Meadow Hill Church, and this news saddens me. I am grateful for the opportunities he provided in church and youth group, and am lucky he was able to come to Connecticut to marry me. May he rest in peace.🙏
Owen Theodore "Ted" Bechtel
May 24, 1934 ~ March 30, 2026
Born in:
Oil City, PA
Resided in:
Asheville, NC
Owen Theodore ‘Ted’ Bechtel was born in Oil City PA in 1934. In 1946 the family moved to Indianapolis Indiana. The family joined Christian Park Reformed Church where the pastor encouraged Ted to see the world through the eyes of faith. Ted attended Hope College, Holland MI, and graduated in 1957 with a degree in History. He married Harriet Eileen Van Heest on August 16, 1957, and began the Bachelor of Divinity program at Western Theological Seminary, Holland MI. Ted was a committed follower of Jesus the Christ and believed that the Church in this world must act for the benefit of all people.
After his graduation, Ted and Harriet accepted the challenge of being missionaries to Taiwan. They arrived in Taipei in January 1961 and began Taiwanese school. After 2 years of language study, Ted and Harriet moved to Kaohsiung which became their place of mission. Ted developed an English Language teaching ministry for students at the Kaohsiung Medical College. In 1967, after a year of furlong in Holland MI, Ted returned and built Luke Hall – as and English language learning school and student center, adjacent to the medical school, with classrooms, a recreation space, and rooms for guests. Ted also began the ‘Summer with a Purpose’ program. American seminary and college students came to live for 3 months among the students at the medical college and teach English. The SWAP program was housed at Luke Hall.
Ted worked for the Tainan Presbytery of the Taiwanese Presbyterian Church, supporting their pastors and helping them with outreach program. Ted took teams of medical students into the mountains to provide medical care to the indigenous people living there. During the time of the dictatorship of Chiang kai Shek, the Taiwanese churches were persecuted and accused of communist sympathy. Ted met with CIA officers on several occasions to plead for the US to ease the pressure on the church.
Having been forbidden to return to Taiwan after his furlong, Ted and Harriet – now with 3 children, settled in Frankfurt IL, while Ted took on leadership at Camp Manitoqua. In 1974 the family, now 4 children, moved to Grand Rapids and Third Reformed Church. In 1981, Ted became pastor of Meadowhill Reformed Church in Newburgh, New York. His first project was to commit the church to support the RCA SWAP program, which was then operating in Hong Kong. The congregation united in support of this ministry and a young woman from the church went as a participant. Ted also became an active part of the local minister’s association. They converted an inner city building for temporary housing for unhoused people.
After Ted retired from Meadowhill in 1997 – he served as interim pastor for several RCA churches in Hudson valley NY and northern New Jersey. After that, Ted and Harriet moved f irst to Fletcher NC, and then to Franklin TN, to be closer to grandchildren. In November of 2023, he and Harriet moved to Asheville NC which is where he passed away.
Ted loved life. He loved to play golf and travel. He wrote free verse poetry, which he rarely shared. He loved to sing – even though he couldn’t. He loved people, especially meeting new people. He loved that his children and grandchildren remained close. Ted loved that he and Harriet, their children and grandchildren, and eventually great-grandchildren gathered around a table every Thanksgiving; everyone taking that time to reconnect and have fun together. Ted loved his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and he went home on March 30, 2026.
Ted is survived by his wife, Harriet Eileen VanHeest Bechtel; his children: Ronald Theodore Bechtel, Linda Joyce Bechtel Schwander, Randall Jon Bechtel, and Leslie Gayle Bechtel Grotenhuis; and his eleven grandchildren: Anika Dzierlenga, Karianne Bechtel-Unekis, Aaron Jon Schwander, Brant Theodore Bechtel, Winona Timothy Grotenhuis, Emily Annette Bechtel, Hazel Gayle Grotenhuis, Andrew Jon Bechtel, Grayce Eileen Bechtel, Oliver Park Grotenhuis, and Scarlet Emmaline Grotenhuis.
Groce Funeral Home on Patton Avenue is assisting the family.
Services
Funeral Home Assisting The Family:
Groce Funeral Home - Patton Ave.
1401 Patton Ave.
Asheville, NC 28806
(828)252-3535
http://grocefuneralhome.com
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