William "Bill" James Bochsler

On Saturday, August 21, 2021 Bill Bochsler, loving husband and father, passed away at the age of 68.

Bill was born on June 23, 1953 in Silverton, Oregon, to Alfred and Dorothy (Erwert) Bochsler, the youngest of 5 and the only boy. After graduating high school, he studied radiology. He moved to Arizona where he worked at the Tucson Medical Center. He particularly enjoyed heart catherizations in Special Procedures. Five years later he decided to change careers and got his Airframe & Powerplant license. He moved to Miami, Florida to work as an airplane mechanic for Eastern Airlines and then onto Alaska Airlines where he worked for 13 years. Bill had every intention of retiring from Alaska but then felt a strong leading to devote his talents and abilities to full time church work.  

Bill had a life changing experience with God after college friends introduced him to Christ. He fully committed himself to Jesus and began a lifelong passion of seeking God. That passion led him to attend Bible School at Christian Faith Center where he met Delaina Fletcher in registration line. Ten months later they married on July 20, 1985. Soon thereafter they began attending River of Life Fellowship where he eventually became a vital staff Pastor for 23 years. His unique way of teaching with sophisticated illustrations touched untold number of lives.

Bill became a devoted father to Shawn in October 1991-six months after he was born. Bill and Delaina were foster parents initially and then adopted Shawn 4 years later. Bill was fiercely loyal to his family.  

Bill loved the outdoors including hiking, cycling and just puttering in the yard. He enjoyed traveling to visit his four sisters and their families, warm tropical locales, reading good books and fast muscle cars.

Bill didn’t cave into temptation often but occasionally he simply couldn’t resist. Such was the case when one of his sisters’ friends left his 1968 Chevy Chevelle 350 in the driveway with the keys in the ignition. It was too good to be true.  He took the car out for a joy ride and had the time of his life. When he returned, he parked it exactly as it was and the guy never knew!

His creative expression was best seen through his honed woodworking craft. He made several furniture pieces including a roll top desk, dressers, a work bench and even a pulpit. He had an uncanny ability to see when something wasn’t level-even if it was just ½ inch off.

Bill was extraordinarily gifted at “fixing things”. His first career was fixing broken bodies, the second was fixing broken airplanes and the third was fixing broken hearts.  His work ethic was unparalleled and he always wanted to make things better.

Bill was preceded in death by his father, Alfred, and his mother, Dorothy. He is survived by his wife Delaina, his son, Shawn, his four older sisters, Carol, Kathy, Irene, Marilyn, several nieces, nephews and cousins. 

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