Friends, colleagues remember mother of three who died in crash
GREENWICH — The death of a longtime Greenwich resident and mother of three in a crash on Lake Avenue prompted an outpouring of love from those who knew her, with one close friend praising her “great moral compass” and calling her “the real deal.”
Serena Bechtel, 52, died Tuesday evening after her 2013 Chevy Suburban left the road and hit a wall and then a tree on Lake Avenue, police Lt. John Slusarz said. Bechtel was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, which remains under
investigation by the Greenwich Police Department’s Crash Reconstruction Team, he said.
Her longtime friend and business partner Crissy Robinson called her death “heartbreaking” and said Bechtel was someone “who touched everyone’s lives in such a positive way.”
“She was so loved by the community and so respected by the community that I’m not just speaking personally,” Robinson said. “I feel I am speaking for everyone when I say what a wonderful person she was. She loved her kids more than anything and would do anything for them. It was all about her children.
“She had a great moral compass. She was selfless. She had such humility. She never bragged or anything but she was so good at everything. She was a devoted friend and mother. She was the real deal without any pretension,” Robinson said of her longtime friend.
Their children went to preschool together, said Robinson, who said she had known Bechtel for 18 years. Three years ago, the two friends founded Above and Beyond, a move management company that specializes in decluttering people’s houses before a move and helping clients downsize to smaller homes.
Bechtel was an “amazing business partner,” Robinson said, saying they had worked side by side at the company nearly every day.
“It was such a joy to work with her because she was so good at what she did and she was so hard-working,” Robinson said. “She just made every day different. What we do in moving is not such a fun experience, but she really connected with all of her clients.”
After the news spread of Bechtel’s death, Robinson said, “I’ve had so many clients reach out and express their sorrow because she connected with them all. She was just a really good person.”
Thinking back to her friend, Robinson recalled how much fun it was to know her and praised all the ideas she had for the business. Robinson also spoke about Bechtel’s love of sailing and walking at Greenwich Point with her dogs, her support for Nova Scotia and where she has family, and Bechtel’s community service and her involvement in everything from the Greenwich Land Trust, where she was volunteering with her daughter, to Stanwich Community Church.
Senior Pastor Nathan Hart also mourned the loss of Bechtel, calling her an active member of the church community.
“She was very sweet and well-loved,” Hart said. “She was always a safe person for people to talk to in the community. She was always listening, and she would show much compassion. She was someone people sought after to be in friendship with.”
For those who are grieving Bechtel’s death, there is guidance in the promises of scripture, Hart said.
“We believe that Serena is now entering our Father’s house in heaven because Jesus prepared a place for her there,” Hart said. “We take comfort in that. We find hope in that.”
Bechtel also volunteered at Greenwich Country Day School, where her three children attended school.
“We were heartbroken to learn of the tragic loss of Serena Bechtel,” Head of School Adam Rohdie said. “Serena’s three children attended GCDS and she was an active member of our community. We share our deepest sympathies with Serena’s family and friends.”
According to the website, for Above and Beyond Move Management, Bechtel earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Yale University and a master’s degree in the history of decorative arts from Parsons School of Design/Cooper-Hewitt Museum.
She had previously worked in the Education Department at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, as director of membership at The Autry Museum of Western Culture, at Doyle and Sotheby’s Auction houses, and was most recently a decorative arts appraiser with O’Toole-Ewald Art Associates, according to the website.