Monday January 22 1945 State Paper
Thomas Jesse Bethea of Bennettsville Dies
Bennettsville, Jan 21—(Special)—Thomas Jesse Bethea, 66, died at the local
hospital at 8:30 this morning following an illness of a week after suffering a stroke.
Funeral services will be conducted from the home of the Fletcher section at 3
o’clock Monday afternoon and interment will be made in the family burying ground near
the home. His pastor, the Rev J G Ferguson of Pine Grove Methodist Church, will
officiate.
Mr Bethea, a farmer, was active until he suffered a stroke last May. He was the
son of the late William and Victoria Gibson Bethea and spent his entire life in the
Fletcher section.
He is survived by his widow, Mrs Lydia Manship Bethea; the following sons and
daughters; T J Bethea of Miami, Fla, W M Bethea of McColl, Maj Victor Lee Bethea of
the army at El Paso, Tex., Mrs Tom Rivers of Raleigh, NC., Mrs Howard Dubose of
Oklahoma City, Okla, and Capt Charles Julian Bethea of the army at Austin, Tex; three
sisters and brothers, Miss Alma Bethea of Bennettsville, Mrs Glenn Cope of Cope, Mrs
Laurie Smoak of Bamberg, J G Moore of Bennettsville; and three grandchildren.
Submitted by Carolyn Klear, July 2004.
