Ronald "Ron" James Bethel

Ronald James “Ron” Bethel, 59, beloved husband, father, son, brother (& in-law), uncle and friend soared into heaven on March 3, 2015 as a result of a traffic accident in Atlanta, GA. Memorial services will be on Saturday, March 7, 2015 at 2:00 PM at Stewart Family Funeral Home in Tyler with Rev. Stephanie Scott officiating. Visitation will be at 1:00 PM, one hour prior to the service. Ron was born on July 12, 1955 in Key West, FL to the late Dolores Kollars Bethel DeMarco and Herman H. Bethel !!. He married the love of his life, Cherlyn Hunt Bethel (whom he affectionately called “Baby Doll” & he was her “Honey Honies”) on May 2, 1987 in Vicksburg, MS. By the grace of God and with the help of modern medicine, they were blessed with the birth of their miracle child, Elliott James Kealoha Bethel, on December 2, 1992 in Houston, TX. Ron grew up in Kailua, Hawaii. He left the island before finishing high school & got his GED on the mainland. He began his lifetime of employment in the airline industry…starting as a baggage handler for Continental Airlines & working his way up the ranks to a Director position. He left Continental & went to work for AccuFleet (an airline services company in Houston, TX), traveling the U.S. & Pacific handling Sales & Contracts. Ron had a life long dream to own his own company…in 1998, Ron & his brother, Herman, bought the Pacific niche market of AccuFleet and formed Unlimited Services Group, LLC. Ron was CEO of USG which grew into a multi-million dollar company, employing 300+ people on Guam, Hawaii & Saipan, until his death. He was a member of Marvin United Methodist Church. Ron is survived by his wife & soulmate, Cherlyn; his sons Elliott of Fayetteville, AR (formerly of Tyler,Jason Kuna Lee Bethel (Tara) of Joplin, MO, Joshua Kawika Ryan Bethel (Melissa) of Independence, MO, Jacob Keoki Scott Bethel of Blue Springs, MO;Norwegian Exchange Son, Christian Balsnes (Anne-Brit) of Aalesund, Norway; brothers,Michael Olson of Garden Grove CA, Herman H. Bethel III (Thim) of Mangilao, Guam; sisters, Anita Valdez (Rodney) of Novato, CA, Nancy Jenny (Paul) of Brookings, OR; father & mother in law, George & Jo Glyn Hunt of Vicksburg, MS; brothers in law, Tim Hunt (Dee Dee) of Azle, TX, Lewis Hunt (Mary) of Flower Mound, TX, Geir Balsnes (Tone) of Aalesund, Norway; sister in law, Hope Weber of Citrus Heights, CA; “Calabash” Family; Robert, Maria & Sean Endler of Kaneohe, HI, Kris Trinies (Steven) of Sacremento, CA; grandchildren, Hope, Jordan, Ethan, Damien, Donovan & Uriah Bethel; many nieces & nephews & cousins-in-law and fur babies, Gizmo and Molly Girl. Ron was an astute businessman, a fair boss, always dealt above board and thought “outside of the box”. He was a grill master of ribs, steaks & pork tenderloin. He was a handy man to the max (w/ the tools, knowledge & where-with-all to prove it) & could fix, build, & repair most anything. He never met a stranger, had friends all over the world &was willing to help friend or neighbor at a moment’s notice. He was a man of integrity, faith and loyalty. He was a Volunteer Extraordinare. At Guam United Methodist Church he served as President of the Administrative Board, would help take care of the church grounds & host meals for visitors. He was the middle of 3 generations (with son, Elliott & Father-in-law, George) who worked together for many summers at Service Over Self (S.O.S.) a youth ministry of Crawford Street United Methodist Church in Vicksburg, MS helping to repair, fix, mend house of those less fortunate in the community. He relished his time as a Band Parent for the Robert E. Lee Red Raider High School Band (Tyler) loading, unloading & towing the trailer to/fro all football games, chaperoning, cooking for the band directors and assisting in whatever capacity was needed. Ron and his wife kept their home opened as a welcoming haven for Elliott and his friends (affectionately called “Hoodlums”). Treasured “hoodlum”, Trey Groom, wrote…”Your dad was very proud of you (Elliott) and we all saw it. He had a profound, lasting effect on everyone he knew, most of all the hoodlums & will live on through you and us! He was a good man & showed us how to be good men. We loved him & he will be missed but not forgotten. He wasn’t just a good man. He was the best of men!” Honorary pallbearers are George Hunt, Tim Hunt, Lewis Hunt, all golfing buddies on the mainland, Guam & Hawaii; past & present REL Band Parents Association members, Directors and students and the “Hoodlums”. Ron live life Large, Lively, Loud, with LOTS of Laughter and endless Love!!! In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the REL Band Parents Association, P.O. Box 131272, Tyler, TX 75713, the S.O.S., c/o Crawford Street UMC, 900 Crawford Street, Vicksburg, MS 39180 or the charity of your choice

Ronald "Ron" James Bethel

July 12, 1955 - March 3, 2015