Richard King Bethea

BETHEA, Richard King

Richard King Bethea, aged 71, died on November 11, 2020, Veteran's Day, at his home in Menlo, GA. Richard was a fifth generation Atlantan and the son of Charles Gray Bethea, Sr. and Caroline Yundt Bethea, deceased. Richard was born in Atlanta on September 19, 1949, grew up in Ansley Park where he was ranked first in Georgia in tennis in his age group, attended The Lovett Schools and Northside High School. At age 17, Richard enlisted in the US Marine Corps and served in Vietnam with an artillery battery on an unnamed hilltop. As the lowest ranking Marine in the battery, Richard's job was to remove dead Vietcong bodies from the concertina wire surrounding the hilltop, and then dispose of the bodies. This is an experience that always haunted Richard. Following return from service where he was honorably discharged, Richard worked in construction in California and then Georgia, where he often told tales of his fast life on "The Left Coast." Richard enjoyed watching old movies without commercial interruption on TCM and often commented to those of us who had the opportunity to visit him in Menlo, 'I have had a wonderful life.' Richard frequently quoted Shakespeare, Poe, Keats and Nietzsche, among others. Following retirement, he built a home in Menlo, overlooking a beautiful valley, where he lived until he died. Richard was predeceased by his brother Carter M. Bethea, and is survived by his brother C. Gray Bethea, Jr. (Mary); his sister Caroline Bethea Brown; nephews Charles Bethea, Robert Bethea (Meredith) and Gray Campbell (Jan); his aunt Fritzi Yundt Herring; and his longtime friend, Jack N. Sibley. At Richard's request there will be no memorial service. Interested parties are encouraged to donate, in his memory, to the Military Benefit Foundation. https://milbenfoundation.org