Richard Lee Bethea, 72, of Reva, Va., passed away Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011, at his residence.
A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, at the Novum Baptist Church, with the Rev. Jeff Light officiating. Burial will be private.
Mr. Bethea was born Dec. 27, 1938, in Moore County. He served his country in the U.S. Air Force; retired from Naval Investigative Services as a senior electronics tech; was a member of Novum Baptist Church; and enjoyed studying Christianity, cooking, electronics and working with his tractor.
He is survived by his wife, Marilyn Ord Bethea, of Reva; his sons, Dean Robert Houser, of Haymarket, Va., Douglas Wayne Houser, of Falls Church, Va., Randy Lee Bethea, of Bristow, Va., and Richard Alan Bethea and his wife, Natalie Ashworth, of Scroggsville, Md.; his grandchildren, Erin Paige Bethea and Richard Alexandria Bethea, both of Atlanta; his siblings, William Larry Bethea, of Warrenton, Va., Geraldine Hopper, of Chester, Va., Robert Woodruff, of Chapel Hill, and David Woodruff, of Southern Pines. He was preceded in death by his parents, Frederick D. Woodruff and Ollie P. Woodruff.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Hospice of the Rapidan, P.O. Box 1715, Culpeper, VA; or Novum Baptist Church, 1629 Novum Road, Reva, VA 22735. Online condolences may be made at clore-english.com.
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Clore-English Funeral Home, Culpeper, Va.