Thomas J. Bechtold

Thomas Bechtold, age 77, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, on Friday July 18th of 2025.

Tom and his wife Terri raised their three daughters at their home in Forest Lake. He and Terri enjoyed many years of volunteering at St. Peter’s Church, traveling, camping with friends and enjoying life together. They had 40 happy years of marriage until her passing in 2009.

In 2011 Tom married Judy Loehrer. Tom and Judy enjoyed 14 years of marriage. They especially enjoyed time spent with their families and friends at the cabin.

Tom worked for Unisys for 50 years in the computer programming field. Being raised on the farm, in Sauk Rapids, he loved to come home from work and tend to his garden and work in his shop. He loved going to threshing shows, watching MN sports teams, fishing year-round, camping with friends, and spending time with all the grandchildren they shared together.

Left to cherish his memory are his wife Judy; children, Susan (Neal) Westphal, Michelle (Craig) Peterson, Julia VanWagner, Michael (Jeannie) Loehrer, Christopher (Liz) Loehrer and 8 grandchildren; Candyce and Brian VanWagner, Simon Peterson, Allison and Bryce Westphal, Addison, Ashley, and Brooklyn Loehrer, and his sisters, Sue (Mark) Senn, Barb (Dick) Weber, and Mary (Lonnie) Besser, and many nieces, nephews and close friends.

He was preceded in death by Terri Bechtold, and his parents.

Visitation will be held from 4:00-7:00 p.m., with a time of sharing at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, July 31, 2025 at Mattson Funeral Home, 343 North Shore Drive, Forest Lake. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m., with a visitation one hour prior to the mass on Friday, August 1, 2025 at the Church of Saint Peter, 1250 South Shore Drive, Forest Lake, Minnesota. Interment at Calvary Cemetery, Forest Lake, Minnesota

In lieu of flowers the family would appreciate memorials to Second Harvest Heartland Food Shelf (2harvest.org) or St. Peter’s Parish, Forest Lake.

The family is grateful for your prayers throughout this journey.