Richard Harold Beckel

Richard Harold Beckel, 80, passed away on 3/10/2023 after a long battle with emphysema at the Walla Walla Veterans Home.

He was born on August 22, 1942, at St Mary’s hospital in Walla Walla, the second son of Harold and Virginia Donley Beckel. He attended grade schools in Prescott and Dayton and attended Dayton High School. During his high school years, he was active in the Dayton FFA and enjoyed showing pigs at local fairs in Dayton and Walla Walla as well as the Spokane Junior Livestock Show. He also enjoyed working on his car. He graduated in 1961 and continued his education at Tumbleweed Tech, better known as Columbia Basin Community College in Pasco, WA, earning a degree in automotive mechanics in 1963. He enlisted in the United States Air Force, and after basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonia, Tx, he spent two years at McCord Air Force Base in Tacoma, WA, where he worked as an automotive and truck mechanic. After that, he was transferred to air bases in France and Germany, where he continued as an automotive mechanic, office clerk, and a parts courier, which allowed him to travel through parts of Germany, France, and Belgium; he enjoyed his time off traveling through Europe, sightseeing, stopping by coffee shops and going to the dance halls with his buddies. He met his future wife Frieda (Elfie) Gebhardt in a coffee shop in Saarbrucken, Germany; they were married in 1967 and moved to the family farm near Waitsburg after an honorable discharge as a sergeant from the air force. He helped his dad on the farm during harvest and started his career as an automotive mechanic. He moved to Walla Walla, and through his continuing education, he became an ASC master automotive technician and served the Walla Walla valley for 43 years. He worked at Jackson Motors, Lightfoot’s, and for the last 20 years of his career at Dayl Graves. He had many loyal customers that only wanted him to work on their vehicles. He also mentored many young technicians to further their careers.

He enjoyed hunting pheasants on the family farm, water skiing, fishing on family camp trips as well as painting pictures of landscapes and old buildings. He and Elfie enjoyed dancing at the VFW and the Elks and, in later years, enjoyed meeting a loyal group of friends at the Modern Restaurant for a beer and social hour.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Harold and Virginia Beckel, and his wife, Elfie. He is survived by his brothers, Roger Beckel of Spokane and Doug Beckel of Walla Walla as well as his daughter, Elizabeth Weber of Walla Walla, and son, Stefan Beckel of Kent, WA.

A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, March 25, 2023, at 11:00 am, at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 628 Lincoln Street, with the Reverend Mark Koonz officiating.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions may be made to the Walla Walla Senior Center, Meals on Wheels, through the Herring Groseclose Funeral Home, 315 W. Alder St., Walla Walla, WA 99362. In addition, friends and family are invited to sign the online guestbook at www.herringgroseclose.com.