Brumley-Mills Funeral Home
July 10, 2020
Submitted by: Carol Spear Rice

Walter Leon Bethune, aged 80 years passed Thursday, July 9, in his home with his wife Ellah, by his side. The family will welcome friends at Brumley-Mills Funeral Home on Monday from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Services will be Tuesday, July 14th at 9:00 a.m. at Brumley-Mills chapel. Burial will follow at Savanna Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Kenneth Bethune, Rick Bethune, Randy Bethune, Shane Bethune, Ken Sparks and Noah Sparks. Honorary pallbearers are Lynn Edwards, Larry Walla, Mike O'Neal, Jim Kelley, Tony Fields, Roger Kelley, Graham Webb, Gary Wansick, Kevin Priddle, Bob Ivester, Frank Wilson, George Scott, Rudy Hernandez, Dr. John Cotton, Bob Chapman, Mike Dusenberry, Joe Contreras, and Alan Mann. Dad was born December 19, 1939 in McAlester, Oklahoma to Richard Leon Bethune and Ruth Helen Murdock Bethune. Dad was named Walter after his grandfather Walter Murdock. Walter Murdock died with 61 others in the great McAlester coal mine explosion on December 17, 1929. Dad attended grade school at William Gay Elementary and Jr. High at the old McAlester Jr. High located on Washington Avenue, which is now a parking lot. Dad graduated McAlester High School in 1958. He graduated East Central University in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science degree and became a Certified Public Accountant in 1986. He continued to work for many years until he was forced into retirement due to Aplastic Anemia which ultimately ended his life. Dad enjoyed boating, fishing, water skiing, hunting-only after 10:00 a.m. and if the temperature is above 70 degrees. He enjoyed all kinds of music, especially the 50’s. He also enjoyed an occasional glass of wine. Dad told me his first job at the age of 12, was pulling weeds for Walter Mann around Mann's greenhouse. When Dad was a little older he worked at Mann's flower shop when it was on the corner of 2nd Street and Choctaw where the First National Center is located now. Dad married Carol Ann Sisco on December 12, 1959. On September 27, 1960 Kenneth was born, on November 17, 1962 Rick was born and on March 29, 1964 Randy was born. Dad was a lifelong resident and business man in McAlester with the exception of a time in San Diego California during active duty in the Military and approximately a year in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Dad's active duty status ended in 1962 at the rank of E5, but he continued his military service with the 95th Division in McAlester until he retired at the Rank of Captain after 20 years of service. Dad worked in sales at Metropolitan Life Insurance and Firestone Tire as a bill collector. He didn't like either of those jobs so he applied for a job as the credit manager at The McAlester Clinic in the 1960's. I remember the day he went to the job interview. For some reason we were not able to stay at home with mom so he had to take us three boys with him to the job interview. We were told to wait in the car in the parking lot across the street from the Clinic when it was located on South 3rd at the intersection of Seminole Avenue. It seemed like he was in the Clinic for an eternity, but he finally returned to the car and told us he got the job. We moved into the first house Dad was able to buy, because of his new job. He immediately started tearing out walls and remodeling the home. He was a very good carpenter and enjoyed it, but always said he couldn't pay the bills as a carpenter. When I was in first grade, Dad bought a brand new house at 1521 South 4th Street, it was the 'new' Red Bud housing addition. At that time, Red Bud addition consisted of houses only on 4th street, which came to a dead end at a set of corrals and a barbed wire fence. We always called it Saunier's pasture. We lived in the 4th Street house for a few years until Dad had a brand new house built at 1603 Red Bud Lane. Red Bud addition ended at that location except for a block long section of Saunier Way which ended at a mud hole full of crawdads. Dad and Mom became friends with the Champion family who lived south of us on 4th Street. Dad and Tom became partners in a ski boat and later in the Motor Inn Motel. Dad worked as Controller for MEECO Marina's for a few years, then opened his own practice purchasing the Santa Fe Office building. He remained in the Santa Fe building until he moved his office to the First National Center. His CPA office was 100 feet or less from where Mann’s Flower shop was located. Dad served on the Audit and Finance Committee, and was the C.P.A. for the Downtown Drawing for several years with the City of McAlester. Dad had a business partner named Graham Webb. Dad and Graham bought some property in the Philippine's with plans to develop the property. There he met a woman who would later become his wife. Ellah told me, she and Dad were in a shoe store in the Philippine's at the same time, that is how they met. Dad had the opportunity to spend time with Ellah. It wasn't long until Dad told us he was going to move Ellah to the U.S. and marry her. Dad and Ellah were married August 8th, 2009. He adopted her son, Shane. Dad is survived by his devoted wife Ellah of the home; 4 sons, Kenneth Bethune and wife Denise, Rick Bethune and wife Debbie, Randy Bethune and Shane Bethune; 4 grandchildren, Katie Potter and husband Thaxal, Brooke Pettigrew and husband Stan, Emily Bethune and Noah Sparks; great grandchildren, Caybree Potter, Addisyn Potter and Troy Pettigrew; one brother Billy Bethune and wife Marilyn; son-in-law Ken Sparks, niece Angela Bethune and nephew Mike Adler. Dad said several years ago he believed in God and knows that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that he had done what he needed to do to be saved. He is predeceased by his parents and a step-daughter Elaina Sparks.