Robert William Mietchen

Beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and uncle, Robert William (Bob) Mietchen, age 85, passed peacefully at home with his wife by his side on February 17, 2025. Bob was born July 23, 1939, in Mandan, North Dakota to Curtis E. and Myrtle V. Durgan Mietchen, the youngest of four boys. He received his GED from East High School in 1956 and a degree in Structural Engineering from the University of Utah in 1969. He married Patricia Worthen on August 4, 1961, at The Reception Center in Salt Lake City, celebrating sixty-three years together.

At age seventeen, Bob enlisted in the Air Force and was stationed in Shreveport, Louisiana for two years, working on nuclear ordinance with top-secret clearance, before receiving an honorable discharge.

Bob started as a draftsman for Jay Jackson and then spent his career in the ornamental steel industry, working at Niederhauser Ornamental Iron and Stott Steel, before opening his own firm – Valley West Steel – in 1991 until he retired in 2003.

Bob was an avid outdoorsman, enjoying sailing on the Great Salt Lake, boating on Palisades Reservoir, Lake Powell, and the Pacific Ocean, snowmobiling, whitewater rafting, traveling, golfing, and fishing anywhere and everywhere. He was an exacting teacher, working as a private pilot flight instructor for two decades, and educating his children and grandchildren in the finer points of preparing and completing plans for even small projects like treehouses and patios -- always using the right tools. Bob always looked forward to attending the annual elk hunt with nieces and nephews.

Bob and Pat were best friends and partners, with their finest teamwork seen in building a cabin from the ground up in Alpine, Wyoming. The cabin became a favorite place for friends and family to create memories.

Later in life, Bob and Pat spent winters in San Diego, Seattle, Las Vegas, Palm Springs, and Mesquite. He loved gathering with the East High Madrigals – a group he had not performed with during high school but was happily adopted into.

Bob is predeceased by his parents, his parents-in-law, Rhea and Tom Worthen, brothers Jerome (LaRue), Raymond (Colleen) and Earl (Darlene), and sister-in-law Lois Worthen. Bob is survived by wife, Patricia Mietchen, son M. Scott Mietchen (Lisa), daughter Missy Mietchen Ringwood, grandchildren Abby Allen (Luke), Alex Mietchen (Cheyanne), Ryan and Shawn Ringwood, and great-grandchildren Will and Sophie Allen. He is also survived by his treasured dog Carter, brother and sister-in-law Bruce and Pam Worthen, brother-in-law Tom Worthen, and numerous nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Valley View Funeral Home, 4335 West 4100 South, West Valley City, Utah 84120 on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. Visitation will be one hour prior, beginning at 1:00 p.m.