James Warren "Jim" Bethell

James Warren (Jim) Bethell Jr. (1922 - 2011) DALLAS - James Warren Bethell Jr., 88 years old, passed away peacefully at his home in Dallas, Oregon on January 21, 2011. Jim was deeply loved by his family and friends and is greatly missed by all.
Jim was born in Gutherie, Oklahoma, the youngest of the seven children of James Warren Bethell Sr. and Minnie Lee Crossland. Jim's father was a farmer, and a writer and circuit minister for the old Church of God. Minnie was a homemaker with a sweet disposition whom Jim called "a saint." When he was six, Jim's family left Oklahoma for California and two years later made their home in Aumsville, Oregon, where Jim was raised.
At 19, after brief stints in the Civilian Conservation Corps and Boeing Corporation, Jim joined the Navy and served in World War II for three and a half years; first in underwater demolition and later as the Boatswain's First Mate on the Landing Ship Tank 461. He was proud of his Navy years and received four medals for his service in the Asian-Pacific Theater.
Jim Bethell was a good man who showed unconditional love and unwavering loyalty to his family. He had a kind and generous heart and through the years many benefited from his financial and other kinds of assistance. He was by nature solid, steadfast and fair, with a joyful sense of humor. He had a gift for seeing the heart of a matter and in few words identifying a down-to-earth solution. Many felt it an honor to be respected by Jim. When they talk about him, the light in the eyes of his wife, daughters and grandkids, is his crowning legacy.
In 1947, Jim married his teenage sweetheart, Ruby Pelky who gave him four daughters who were devoted to him. With one small tractor, Jim and Ruby started a tiny logging business that later became the Bethell Logging Corporation. For the next 46 years hundreds of men and a few women supported their families by working for Bethell Logging on the coast mountain range. Jim stood loyally by Ruby throughout her many years of illness.
After Ruby's death in 1978, Jim married Alla Mae Bethell, the widow of his brother Bob, who had died in 1966. Together, they enjoyed hunting, fishing and international travel. Alla Mae was a devoted wife and grandmother who helped Jim manage his growing logging company.
After Alla Mae passed, in 1993 Jim married Vivian Hildebrand, whom he'd known for many years. They enjoyed traveling in their motor home with family and friends. They celebrated their 17th Anniversary in December and Vivian faithfully took care of Jim to the end.
Jim is survived by his wife Vivian, his daughters, Sheryn Christian, Terry Kilander and Cindy Bethell; and by seven grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and by multiple generations of nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Sandy Boylan in 2003.
A viewing will be held from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Friday, January 28, 2011, and a celebration of Jim's life will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, January 29, 2011, both at Restlawn Funeral Home, 201 Oak Grove Rd. NW, Salem, Oregon. Donations can be made to the Alzheimer's Association .