Dennis Ray Bethea

December 10, 1955 - August 15, 2016

Dennis “Ray” Bethea, 60, of Columbia and formerly of Boston, Massachusetts passed away on August 15, 2016. He was born on December 10, 1955 in Marion County to the late Dennis and Mary Evelyn (born Leonard) Bethea. Ray was second of four siblings, Barbara, James and Vickey Bethea. Early on, he was raised in Rains, South Carolina with deceased maternal grandparents, Willie & Cornelia Leonard and attended Pleasant Grove Elementary and Terrell’s Bay High School. Dennis relocated to Boston with his parents and attended Lewis Junior High School followed by Xaverian Brothers High School where he played basketball and ran track. Dennis went on to Northeastern University where he was a Deans List student for 3 semesters before voluntarily joining the United States Army. His basic training was completed at Fort Leonardwood, Missouri, then assigned at Fort Benjamin Harris, Illinois and onto Germany. He was honorably and medically discharged soon after. He began his Christian education at Saint James AME church in Rains, and became a believer by accepting Christ as his Lord and Saviour at an early age. He continued attending church in Boston and Columbia. Dennis was an enthusiastic professional basketball and football fan. He often watched one or the other on Sunday afternoons with his sister Barbara and always reminded her when those Carolina Gamecocks or Carolina Panthers were playing. He leaves one brother, James Bethea of Columbia; two sisters: Vickey Bethea of Boston, and Barbara Bethea (Harvey Staplefoote) Columbia; two nieces (Veronika and Anjelica); two nephews (Quentin and Marcus); one paternal aunt, Bernice Harley (New Jersey); one maternal aunt, Judith Williamson (North Carolina); and a wonderful loving extended family of cousins, many of whom are with us today.