Allan Bechtel

Allan Michael Bechtel, of Broken Arrow, was born on Friday, November 11, 1988, in Ponca City, OK, to Tom and Terri Bechtel.  He passed away on Friday, January 29, 2021, at Integris Baptist Medical Center, OKC, with his parents, sister and girlfriend by his side.  He was 32 years old and fought a hard battle against COVID.

Allan attended Ponca City Public Schools and graduated from Ponca City High School in 2007.  He attended St. Mary's Catholic Church and participated in the youth group activities such as fund raisers, trips to Steubenville Youth Conferences and the senior ski trip to Colorado.  Allan participated in track and field during his junior high years.  During high school, he was an honor student and a letterman on the varsity boys soccer team all 4 years.  During his senior year he was a captain on the soccer team and was selected to the All State Boys 6A Soccer team.  He graduated from Oklahoma State University in 2012 with a BS in Business Administration, Management Information Systems degree.  He recently completed his Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from Bellevue University.  Before college, he worked for the Ponca City Public Schools for 2 summers in the grounds maintenance department.  During his college years he worked at Family Video in Stillwater, which enhanced his enjoyment of watching and critiquing movies.  He began his career with Hilti in Tulsa, OK in January 2015.  In his early career, Allan was selected twice by Hilti to attend World of Concrete in Las Vegas, Nevada, the largest trade show for the commercial construction industry.  At the event, he showed, demonstrated and answered questions regarding Hilti tools.  As an eB2B Support Specialist, Allan completed the Emerging Leaders Program with Hilti in November 2020.  He was one of eight who were selected for the program.

Allan began playing soccer when he was 6 years old.  He played on outdoor and indoor recreational and club soccer teams.  At Oklahoma State University, Allan participated in many activities such as intramural sports and camping out on campus to get the best seats in the student section at home football games.  He travelled with his good friends to many of OSU's away games and bowl games.  Even after graduation, Allan remained an avid OSU football fan.  He also enjoyed NFL Fantasy Football, playing board games, watching movies, playing soccer and spending time with his family and friends.

Allan leaves behind to cherish his memory:  his parents, Tom and Terri Bechtel, Ponca City; his sister, Erin White and her husband Nick, Owasso, OK; his beloved girlfriend, Olivia Churchill, Broken Arrow, OK; maternal grandparents, Donna Nickle and Marion Wagner, both of Manhattan, KS; special grandparents, Norman (Rusty) and Pat Sober, Ponca City; numerous aunts, uncles and cousins in Kansas, Ohio, Missouri, Arizona, Nebraska, Colorado, and Oklahoma.  He also leaves behind his fur babies:  Conley, Paisley and Ginny Guitar.

Allan is preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Don and Arlene Bechtel; cousin Kacie Rae Skidmore; and uncles John Hardwick and Tom Cuddy.

A vigil wake will be held on Thursday, February 4, at 6:00 p.m. at Grace Memorial Chapel in Ponca City.  The Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Mary's Catholic Church at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, February 5, with Father Carson Krittenbrink officiating.  Burial will follow at Longwood Cemetery, Ponca City.  Masks and social distancing will be required at the services.  The mass will be live streamed, to watch go to www.gracememorialchapel.net and click on Allan’s page then scroll to the bottom and click on live stream to view.

Pall bearers will be brothers from the St. Mary's Catholic Church Knights of Columbus Council No. 949.  Honorary pall bearers will be Allan's favorite brother-in-law, Nick White; and cousins Brian Seidler, Brad Seidler, Melissa Kientz, Jarod Kientz, Kristen Kientz, Kyle Hardwick, Jesse Hardwick, Reece Kohn, Gavin Kohn, Jeremy Johns, TJ Cuddy, Whitney Cuddy and Colt Skidmore.

The family requests in lieu of flowers, please donate to the Skiatook Paws and Claws Animal Rescue via payPal on their website or at P.O. Box 1033, Skiatook, OK 74070 or to an animal shelter of your choice or to the St. Mary's Catholic Church Youth Group, 707 East Ponca Avenue, Ponca City OK 74601.

Until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.

Online guest registry is available at www.gracememorialchapel.net