William Russell Bechtel

On Wednesday March 25, 2015,William Russell Bechtel of Washington, DC. Beloved husband of Dorothy M. Bechtel. Bill is predeceased by his son David, who passed in 2003, and is the brother of Leslie A. Bechtel of Riverside, Connecticut. Grandfather of Matthew Bechtel and great-grandfather of Seth Rawls Bechtel, both of Waukesha, Wisconsin. Bill is also survived by his nieces Christine and Elizabeth Kleemeier of Washington, DC and nephew Robert Kleemeier of Atlanta, Georgia.

Bill was born in Superior, WI on September 19, 1923 to the Rev. and Mrs. Leslie A. Bechtel. He attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he and Dorothy met. Bill interrupted his college career to serve as a Lieutenant JG in the Navy in both the European and Pacific theaters. After graduation, he worked for a small paper in Wisconsin where he won numerous awards for his reporting. In 1950, he joined the Milwaukee Journal, where he spent 13 years as a reporter. In 1963, he came to Washington D.C. as Administrative Assistant for Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson, and later worked as staff aide on committees that Nelson chaired. In this capacity, Bill helped write and pass important parts of the Great Society legislation to end poverty. In 1977, he was appointed by President Carter as co-chair of the Upper Great Lakes Regional Commission, where he served for several years. In 1983 he was appointed director of the State of Wisconsin Office in Washington until his retirement in 1986. He and Dorothy lived in Chevy Chase DC for more than fifty years.

Services will be held on Saturday May 2, 2015 at 2:00 pm in the Joseph E. Hagan Chapel at Joseph Gawler’s Sons 5130 Wisconsin Avenue NW Washington, DC 20016. The family requests that memorial contributions in Bill Bechtel’s name be made to the Reverend Leslie A. Bechtel Sr. Scholarship Fund, Account #132810008, U.S. Bank Lockbox #78807 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53278.