Robert (Bob) DeChene, vice president at the DeChene Corp. in Big Lake, MN, died Nov. 14 at the age of 58.
Mr. DeChene was the ninth and youngest child of Leonard and Sylvia DeChene and he was born into the potato business since his parents founded Minnesota-based DeChene Potato in 1958. 
Mr. DeChene worked for his family’s potato company for over 40 years and was in charge of irrigation, shipping finished product and fieldwork. He loved everything about farming and was fond of saying, “It was like being closer to God.”
“Bob’s job was to just do whatever needed to be done and he was well liked by everyone,” Jim DeChene, president at DeChene Corp. told The Produce News. “He had an infectious laugh and I guess his real position title would be vice president of niceness.”
The 60-year-old DeChene Corp. is a Family Limited Partnership company that specializes in growing Irish red potatoes on 1,000 acres of land in central Minnesota.
“We try to distribute product direct with a pre-packer or a grocery chain,” Jim DeChene explained. “But we do use a couple of the largest brokers in the United States, one of them being Southeast Farms in Florida.”
In addition to farming, Mr. DeChene enjoyed playing guitar, collecting coins, ice fishing, golfing, visiting the elderly in the nursing home and spending time laughing with his family.
“Bob was a giver who loved to help others,” stated his family. “He was a kind, compassionate, gentle, sensitive, caring person and his spirit will live on in the hearts of those who knew him.”
Mr. DeChene is survived by his wife, six siblings and their spouses, many nieces and nephews, and a large extended family.
