Richard "Dick" Lee Bartels

Richard Lee “Dick” Bartels died peacefully with family by his side at his home in Powell Butte on April 13, 2023 at the age of 84, after a brief illness.  He was born in Bishop, CA on December 17, 1938 to Weldon R. and Sandra Bartels.  In late 1941, he moved with his family to the Jess Chance Ranch near Mammoth, CA.  They later moved to Valmy, NV where he attended school in Battle Mountain, NV until the family moved to Paulina, OR in 1948.  As a young man, Dick was quite the entrepreneur.  He loved to hunt and trap and worked on several upper country ranches while attending Crook County High School, graduating in 1956.  He married his high school sweetheart, Katherine Jean Collins, in 1959 and they welcomed three children, Sandra, Debra and Richard.  His love of the outdoors and his strong work ethic combined to lead him into a lifetime career as a contractor.  In 1968, Richard met Patti and they became lifelong partners, raising their five children together in Anderson, CA.  Once the children were raised, they moved back home to Oregon, running their purebred Gelbvieh cattle herd on the family’s ranch in Powell Butte for many years.  Dick worked in construction most of his life, first as an excavating contractor in California, and later operating Richard Bartels Construction, LLC together with his son Rich for 24 years right up until the time of his passing.  Dick is survived by Patti Bartels, children Debra (Steve) Clark of Hermiston, Rebecca (Harry) Bither of Hermiston, Richard (Catherine) Bartels of Powell Butte, Roberta (Mike) Allstott of Central Point, twelve grandchildren, twelve great grandchildren and sisters Leona and Janet.  He was preceded in death by his daughter Sandra Barnard, his parents and sister Judy.  Funeral services will be Thursday, April 20, 2023 at 10:00 am at the Powell Butte Christian Church, followed by a graveside service at Juniper Haven Cemetery in Prineville at 2:00 pm.  In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation to the SADS Foundation (www.SADS.org) in Dick’s name.

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