William "Bill" J. Bethea

William “Bill” Bethea, 73, of Effingham, SC, entered into the presence of his Lord and Savior on 01/16/2019 after a brief illness at McLeod Regional Medical Center. Survivors are his wife of 51 years Helen M. Bethea of the home; a daughter Debbie Bethea Meggs (Ben) of Effingham, SC, son William Clark of the home, daughter Tammy Clark Joy (Hank) of Latta, SC; sister Gloria Bethea Byrd of Darlington, SC; and grandchildren Crystal Brantley, Travis Brantley, Matthew Meggs and Jessica Meggs. He is preceded in death by parents, J. C. and Edith Bethea; and a brother, James Robert Bethea. Bill proudly served with the US Navy where he served during the Vietnam war. Bill loved his Lord and was a faithful member of Southside Baptist Church and Joe Poston’s Sunday School class.He loved his family with all his heart and served them in many ways every day. He loved to crack a joke and make people laugh and many will remember his stories, especially his “fishing” ones. He had a true servant’s heart and a serious side many did not see outside of his family. He loved everyone he knew. His passion became gardening after he retired from Wellman Security. He enjoyed working the land as his father had done and growing vegetables which he would pick and bag up to share with family, church friends, staff at his doctor’s office and many others. The family would like to thank all those who have called and visited over the past few days during his very brief illness. They would also like to extend their gratitude to the doctors and nurses with McLeod ER and McLeod MICU who provided so much compassion and care for Mr. Bethea. We will be eternally grateful for all they did to provide him with comfort and care as best they could in a difficult time and for the compassion and genuine kindness they extended to our family during his time there. He will be missed and his memory cherished by all who knew and loved him. Memorials can be made to Southside Baptist Church Building Fund. The family will receive friends from 10:30AM -12:00PM Saturday prior to the service at the church. Funeral services will be held 12:00 PM Saturday, January 19, 2019 at Southside Baptist Church conducted by Stoudenmire-Dowling Funeral Home. Burial will take place at 10:00 am, Monday, January 21, 2019 at the Florence National Cemetery. Please visit the online condolence page for Mr. Bethea at www.stoudenmiredowling.com