Rich Becheler has passed away RIP

End of an era. You guys and that whole jacked time have been on my mind a lot today. I’d been meaning to give Rich a call post 50th b-day party since I didn’t make it out with Leo, but I didn’t and now I’m regretting it. Does anyone know why his health had gone so far south in recent times? I will dig through the archives and post some pics. Peace, brother.

I hope you have a smooth flight Rich! Fortunately legends never die... While you can take away the man, you can never take away his brilliant and inspiring routes/ascents at the ever incorruptible Devil's Lake, Necedah, Hillbilly, Jackson Falls, and numerous other areas. Like many burly climbers before him, he sought out not only difficult and challenging climbs, but he also wanted to share that experience with the generations to come... Go find his scary routes at the Lake, and do them! It might not make you a better person, but there is a damn good chance it will make you a better climber if you survive them, and redpoint them! He knew the game, and he played his hand... We should all be so lucky.

It truly is the end of an era Barry. Bill Russell and I had a cheap swill and clubsalute in Prunes honor today.Bill talked of their 2 trips to canada and all the great climbs they did .Bill even commented that Rich wasn,t too out of control on those trips.But I seem to remember when he got back he was having more fun than usual.I wish I could have seen him one more time also.
Rest in peace Rich. Thanks for the memories.

We are looking at December 4th at Devils Lake for a get together of Rich's friends and family to Celebrate Rich's life. Probably about 1:00 in the afternoon. More details will follow as they are firmed up.

There is also more traditional Wake planned for November 17th. More details will follow on this also.

Kevin

November 17th there will be a visitation at Olbrich Gardens in Madison starting at 2:00 with a service at 3:00 pm.

Kevin

'bye Rich, you lived large and with style, we'll all miss ya.

Leo,
That's my bone saw, still have it.
chez

bill mcchesney wrote:Leo, That's my bone saw, still have it. chez

Saturday December 4th @ 1:00 we will meet at Devils Lake (Bird Mound) to remember Rich and spread some ashes.

Shameless bump in prunes bechler,s memory.
First met old Rich in 1977 at DL, so have many stories of his antics and climbing follies.....will post some tales soon. .
Club salute for prunes!!!!

This is sad and upsetting news.
As club president for life, Rich was an inspiration to all clubbers.
Rich officialized my title of Megalomaniacal Despot of Fuk-ness.
Who now will become the next club president?
Club salute to a legand!

I seem to remember a particuar day at the bird mound, during the 'cosmic allignment', Rich at the head and all others at the wings, he was leading a 'club salute' to all.... the rest of the day just ended in bouldering and debauchery as was common back then.

DaleMoirDukeyetnotPrince wrote:I seem to remember a particuar day at the bird mound, during the 'cosmic allignment', Rich at the head and all others at the wings, he was leading a 'club salute' to all.... the rest of the day just ended in bouldering and debauchery as was common back then.

I remember you guys tellin me about the harmonic convergence, I had already escaped so we held our own out in eldo.

One story from when we did steak sauce on the west bluffs....we talked to Pete cleveland about the route and he said in perfect elmer fudd speak " You guys!!!! Don't even try it , you'll never do it!!"
Well Rich Pulls me aside and says "as soon as we do it on a toprope we,re gonna have to lead it!" And that is the way it went down thanks to Rich,s stubborn persistence that we could do itdespite what pete said. We worked it as a team fiddlin in the gear,then rich fired thru and I pulled the rope and led it also. I seem to recall Barb lighting of bottle rockets all day and the dnr cruising around in a motorboat trying to figure out where the fireworks were comin from. peace and club salutes!!

Also ,In regards to Rich being the prez of the DLFA, this is true and he was a excellant prez....but it came to be only after we decided that the first"self proclaimed" prez Bill Russell had moved to yosemite and could no longer serve as prez. So Rich became the new prez by "Self Proclamation" no elections were held. Rich set a fine example by upholding the standards of f-nes and walking the fine line of f-nes in a astounding display of climbing and clubbing.
As for somebody else becoming prez the club west faction of the dlfa do not think there is anybody out there who could walk the fine line and uphold the standards as well as prunes did(i.e. we are too old) so we suggest letting the presidency remain vacant in memory of Prunes.
Any better ideas? Steve S. retired security council member and "out of the club"

We DLFA where all proud to serve under him! He was always at his best traveling abroad representing the DLFA. Rich was loved by the Australians as our band of ragtag climbers established “Camp Hog”. The summer we spent in Germany and Czecho he represented the DLFA in best possible light. Trying to ice ax a French guide in the Teleferque protecting me after I accidently stuck his client in the face with the crampons on my pack…Rich was a great example to every young aspiring climber!
A true “Prince of Fuk-ness amongst men” we will all miss his unfailing leadership as Club Prez
Secretary of State of the DLFA
David Groth

I saw the pics that Leo posted during the memorial. Glad many of the original roster was there. I had Leo read a eulogy that I'd written for Rich. Thanks Leo for doing that. Here it is in its entirety.

Rich Bechler – President for Life 1960-2010

I’m not precisely sure when I met the incomparable Rich Bechler or any of you other reprobates for that matter, but I’m fairly confident that it was the fall of 1977 – now an awfully long time ago. I remember coming up to The Lake with some fellow students from the U of Chicago. These folks were somewhat priggish, and decidedly boring - certainly not my cup of tea, but they could hold a rope so it was a mercenary marriage of convenience.

I recall getting introduced to Tommy D at the cliff that early Fall day, and after first talking to me and watching me climb to make sure I wasn’t some dreary bungler, he graciously invited me to a little campfire soiree at the south shore that evening. I hadn’t a clue what to expect, but before long, I realized that the folks that did circle the campfire that evening were most assuredly my type of people – loud, completely obnoxious, astute, fucking funny, and finally drunk. We passed around a gallon jug of wine and then some. Rich was there, and Dale, and Tommy, and God knows who else. So began a many-year odyssey with the incomparable DLFA and the fullest compliment of one-off characters I’ve ever met.

Rich was one of the elemental parts of that whole era: the essence of the uniquely jacked, highly motivated climber that had allowed us all to find one another in the first place. He and I climbed a lot together. I liked to push hard and so did he. We were always working on projects together, motivating one another, screaming at each other not to let go. And of course we both very much liked to go right over the top when the vertical seriousness was done.

One enduring memory of those times is when Rich and I attempted the West Face of Sentinel in Yosemite, probably 1981. We astutely made sure we had enough cans of beer for a solid go, but in our zeal had forgotten other essentials. I’ll never forget Rich wailing on a can of peaches with a hammer and piton because we’d forgotten a more conventional opener. We were promptly stormed off in a veritable deluge, descending to a cloud-enshrouded valley wet as rats. It was a miserable, dangerous undertaking over slick rocks and loose rubble, but I didn’t hear so much as a peep out of Prunes. Those are the kinds of glimpses, when things get sketchy, that give you the true measure of a person. I’d been in situations like that before with Rich, and as before, I liked what I saw. When the storm cleared, we grabbed a bit of refreshment and sat in some glade watching a shimmering Yosemite Falls in a full moon and talking of endless future projects. Those were heady times.

In the last emails between us a few years back, he, at varying times, spoke both enthusiastically and forlornly, as most of us do after a life lived. We shared a new-found passion for bikes: he listed 7 (as had I) with his cyclocross bike being his then current favorite. He also couldn’t help mention that, at one time, he was the largest manufacturer of sorority paddles. He asked if I remembered the time when Arturo Perez-Reyes, myself and he danced wildly to the Stones after drinking a gallon jug of Canadian Ace Malt Liquor. I didn’t remember, Rich, and I’m not sure what it was about that event that you held onto all these years. I guess it was just one fine quintessential glimpse at ourselves back then. It’s as real and as perfect as any other of those many crazed events that we can all summon up with ease.

I’d been meaning to give Rich a call post 50th b-day party since I didn’t make it out with Leo, but I didn’t and now I’m regretting it. There’s your cautionary tale: don’t put off that thing you’ve been meaning to do because you think you have more time. That said, I will make damn sure I come out next year for Dave Groth’s 50th before either Dave or I crosses the threshold! Christ, you never know. Dave, though we’ve never met, I probably know a fair bit about you already. It’s the underlying reason why we all decided to climb together in the first place, my own contrived, jacked rule of the universe: ‘Fuckness seeks its own level.’

Rich and I very likely took more than a few years off each other’s lives back then, what with all the frightening runouts and fun. If’s it true that a flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long, so be it. In the end I’ve decided that’s the life we chose or it chose us. That was our true nature. As we say a final farewell to one of our mates, that has undeniable meaning now.

All that fabulous fun in the name of pulling down. Where did our youth go? Nothing like a strong dose of mortality to make one start asking those questions I reckon.

Finally Rich, as you all know, had a razor-sharp sense of humor, and if he were listening to this and able to respond, he would have already lost patience and made some sort of irreverent shot across the bow and probably, no definitely thrown me out of the club. That’s the enduring image I’ll hold onto of Rich, a bittersweet one for sure but one that in the end brings a smile. I know he wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

Barry Rugo
Ipswich, Ma.
December 3, 2010

Very well said Barry. There was a unique element about Rich that brought us all together in some weird apocalypse of climbing and clubbing to the best of one,s ability. Lord knows Rich could push all of us to pull down harder than we thoght we ever could ,because he beleived in each and every one of his brother of fuk-nes,s ability...no matter what grade you climbed or how jacked you got(but you better get jacked).
I am still very upset by his premature departure from this world and will compose something about Rich and our time together back in the carefree days of our youth when I have fully absorbed all the things from my return to DL for his memorial. peace and f-nes Steve S.

Hi everyone:

So sad to hear of Rich's passing. Sorry I missed the event at Devils Lake. I haven't seen Rich in 30 years but have such wonderful memories of 1977-1979 climbing with him in WI and CO.

Will always remember Rich (and girlfriend Cam)and Dale coming up to Devils Lake every Friday night for a weekend of climbing. Fires, wine, beers. Lots of climbing. Rich was a very smooth climber, very humble, very talented. Always willing to teach, assist, "cheer on" those of us struggling up routes he so easily climbed. We always tried to drive down the steep hill around curves at DL without touching the breaks in my red Mustang......youthful stupidity at it's best.

Dale - good to see you are doing well in Madison. I will never forget hitch-hiking with you to Yosemite in 1979 and you had your hair tucked up under your cap.....when cars passed us by you figured they occupants said, "look, that boy has no ends on his hair". We had one cassette tape and played Bad Company and Crosby, Stills & Nash hundreds of times over and over. Good days.

Hope this finds all of you enjoying the holiday season. I am having a beer in honor of Rich.....Jeff Jensen

ok better late than never for some thank you,s for all of ya that went out on a cold and snowy day at DL fer Rich,s memorial. The weather made the day quite beautiful and probably put a smile on Rich,s face to see us brave the elements.It was great to see so many of ya out there,obviously Rich had a profound effect on all of his freinds.
I would like to thank Paul and Sandy for letting us semi retired dirt bag dlfa,ers stay at your house and keep you up into the wee hours with our ramblings.And also for arranging some of the events fer the weekend.You guys are great.
Sencondly I would like to thank Dave Groth for talking to me on the phone fer a friggin hour and making me feel that It was club approved for me to come out.Also thanks Dave for buying me dinner and drinks. Infact every time I turned around someone was offering me some fuk-nes or some food.I owe ya.
Next i have to thank my old freind Chez fer meeting me in the ccc parking lot within 10 minutes of my arrival after not having been at DL in 25 yrs. Of course he brought swill and a rope and rack.IT was very cold but he hiked up to the east bluffs with me and we drank and did a climb in prunes honor. We even met some old crouton who asked if we were part of those dl assholes,somethings never change!!( We,re we really that obnoxoius,to which chez replied "are you kidding!@#") Thanks bill-mike-chez for being there it really meant alot.
I also would like to thank old PIgs in space for taking time out of his busy life to come to dl and party with us. You will always be Pigs in space.
thanks to barry rugo also for a well written statement that was read at the memorial
Dale if you read this thanks for coming up its been along time since we have seen each other and it brought back lots of memories of Rich ,you,and myself going climbing and clubbing and having the times of our lives.
Thanks to leo for flying out from boston and Andy from colorado and keeping us all up into the am hours.(as usual)
And lastly i would like to thank Leise and Heidi for hiking up the trail with me and sharing some time and thoughts. My prayers and thoughts are with you both.You are more than welcome to come out and stay in Eldo.Peace be with ya.
Thanks to everyone else who I might have forgotten to mention.
Club salute to our brother Rich Bechler.

ps I still have to bore ya all with some sort of prunes related essay,but very busy this time of year