Dillon – Marjorie Jane Hooks Bethea, 96, died September 17, 2021, at McLeod Hospice House, Florence, South Carolina.
Born in Mullins, South Carolina on October 16, 1924, Mrs. Bethea was the daughter of the late South Carolina State Representative and Mayor of Mullins James Curtis Hooks and his wife, Bonnie Belle Coward Hooks. She graduated from Mullins High School in 1942 and from Coker College in 1946, with a degree in English and a minor in physical education. She taught physical education in the Dillon schools during the 1946-47 school year. She married Thomas Cooper Bethea on July 25, 1947. They raised their family in Dillon, and in their later years moved to The Manor in Florence, South Carolina.
Mrs. Bethea was a member of Main Street United Methodist Church in Dillon, where she was active in the Marvin Rast Sunday School Class and other church activities. She especially enjoyed church music. Over the years, she was involved with several local clubs, including the Junior Charity League, Avon Study Club, Iris Garden Club, and the Dillon Cotillion Club, of which she was a founding member. She and her late husband established scholarships at Clemson University, Coker University, and Columbia College.
Surviving are two sons and daughters-in law, Thomas Cooper Bethea, Jr. and his wife Dorothy of Dillon, and James Frank Bethea and his wife Linda of the Isle of Palms; and a daughter, Bonnie Bethea Weeks and her husband Garner of The Villages, Florida. She also leaves five grandchildren, Thomas Cooper Bethea III, McLean Gaddy Bethea and his wife Lindsay, Bronwen Bethea O’Shea and her husband Sean, Mary Marjorie Bethea, and John Franklin Bethea, and two great-grandchildren, Bobby and Mimi. She is also survived by a brother-in-law James Dewey Benefield, Jr. of St. Simons Island, Georgia and several nieces and nephews.
In addition to being predeceased by her husband, she was also predeceased by a sister, Miriam (Tiggie) Hooks Benefield; a brother and sister-in-law James Curtis Hooks, Jr., and his wife, Ann Mace Hooks; and a brother, William Thomas Hooks.
Graveside service will be held Tuesday, September 21, 3:30 p.m. at Dothan Cemetery, Dillon, South Carolina. The family will receive friends after the service. Kannaday Funeral Home in Dillon is assisting the family.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Main Street United Methodist Church, Post Office Box 229, Dillon, South Carolina 29536, or to a charity of one’s choice.
You may sign the online guestbook at www.kannadayfuneralhome.com.
