Richard Jay Bethem

The ability to remain calm while possessing deep inner resilience and tenacity was the hallmark of Rick Bethem’s incredible life. His demeanor emphasized that true power is not loud or violent, but enduring and steady.

Raised in the steel mill town of Charleroi, Pennsylvania, minutes from Pittsburgh, his childhood was filled with everything a little boy needed to stay grounded as a successful businessman: toughness, resilience, steadfastness, compassion, respect for all living things, talent development, patience, and understanding that loyalty and love is a cornerstone to success. He learned this at a young age by doing what little boys do: always outdoors exploring, picking wild blackberries and dandelions around his country home, enduring eight years of weekly trumpet lessons, playing baseball and chasing frogs, walking through the creeks on a hot summer day but always being home for dinner. Listening to a baseball game with his dad around the radio were some of his fondest memories with his hero, his dad. He never let a Thanksgiving go by that he didn’t remind family (and anyone that was within earshot) that he marched in the Macy’s Day Parade in NYC in the pouring rain for 30 blocks. One can only imagine how grateful our family was when his niece Audrey took the gauntlet from him when she marched in it and now has the bragging rights. We are a grateful family but don’t think for a minute he didn’t let a Thanksgiving go by without mentioning he was the “original Macy Day Parade marcher!”

While majoring in billiards at the University of Maryland, the government insisted he join the ranks of the many that went to Vietnam. Never one to question it but always one to look forward to a new experience, this was no different; he looked ahead with enthusiasm (and perhaps some trepidation). Who could have predicted that picking up a used camera while in the middle of a war and making hundreds of rolls of film would be his teacher, while the USO tent became his makeshift darkroom when he could get in, would have led to him becoming one of the most incredibly talented photographers we would know.

After his service ended, he wanted to know more about the inner workings of cameras, so he got a job at Honeywell, and when he thought he knew as much as he could learn there, he got another employment opportunity at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, just outside of Washington, DC, where he learned and then implemented the electronics for the Lunar Rover II. Not one to ever be satisfied or one to “rest on his laurels,” in his mind his life was all about moving forward. He set new goals and achieved more by exploring new challenges.

His next chapter is what really set him up for his long journey into photography. Mixing his passion for photography with his intrigue of politics, he snatched a cushy job with the House of Representatives Recording Studio. After learning the ropes and what makes a successful TV cameraman, he was promoted to a TV director and just ran with every opportunity that came his way. He proudly filmed what is known today as C-Span from the House Chambers. Speaker of the House at that time, Carl Albert, was just as impressed with him and the product he filmed and produced. Being on “The Hill” during Watergate and so many other significant political goings-on, Rick was truly in his element.

But once again, he became restless and decided he needed to take his career by the horns and do something not many family members understood at the time. Because, who leaves a cushy job like his and leaves it with no concrete plans while having a family to raise? The answer to that is one whose belief in himself, his ability, and his talent was so strong nobody could convince him to stay in one spot too long just to be “comfortable.” Enter the 20-year business of Bethem Photography. He rented a double space in a new shopping plaza with just one anchor store and created a beautiful and highly successful studio. He photographed over 500 weddings, commercial projects, high school seniors, boudoir photography, pets, babies, and the list goes on. After 10 years in one space, the studio had outgrown its walls, so it was once again time for a change. Moving the studio to a home setting in the country with an acre of beautiful land, where the business was already successful with more location shoots than studio shoots, he and his wife Ruth created more opportunities, not only for themselves but for their clients. But that only lasted 5 years before his restless feet found him leaving the business to Ruth to pursue his love of photojournalism; and that was his love, spot news as they called it. His 2nd year he swiped 11 state awards and put him in a different category altogether. He then went on to join the Associated Press, joined the White House Press Photographers, and knew he was exactly where he was always meant to be.

Moving to Naples, Florida, was a dream he and his wife Ruth had since 1983, and they finally made the decision in 1997 to “recalculate their internal GPS” so they could spend precious time with his father, who only lived three short years after they settled into a beautiful life in Naples. In Rick’s eyes, it was the most fulfilling, enriching, and poignant time of his life to be so blessed with becoming reacquainted with his hero as he knew how so few get to do that. To be able to see his dad every day, share their love of all sports and politics, and laugh until tears came out of their eyes was the final destination that Rick had dreamed about.

Rick reinvented himself one last time by starting a new Naples business photographing the many gorgeous high-end properties for local realtors. Even after his diagnosis with FSHD, he still pushed himself beyond his physical capabilities because of his love of photography.

A true Gemini to the end, he was the perfect mixture of adaptable and versatile; highly intellectual and yet brutally quick-witted, curious yet restless, black and white with little to no gray area – and that reached into every area of life. It’s either right, or it’s wrong. It’s either chocolate or vanilla. You love, or you don’t. And he knew a lot about love and the price we pay for it. But it is through loving and sharing your soul that one grows. It’s through growth that one finds peace within. And, at the end of his life, it was Rick that made the decision it was time to fly home when Jesus was ready to take his hand and lead him there on April 11, 2026.

Rick’s legacy isn’t only what he achieved but what he left behind. He was blessed to have two amazing children, Blake (Aby) Jacob, Parker & Finn, and Jennifer (Jacob) Mackenzie, Addison & Jack that in his eyes “hung the moon,” and his wife of 41 years, Ruth. The “grands” have grown up to reflect the foundation with the standards that he raised his children with, as well as two great-grandchildren (Savannah & Maverick).

A celebration of Rick Bethem’s life spanning 78 years will be June 29 at 11:00 in the Sanctuary of Vanderbilt Presbyterian Church in Naples with a full color guard just prior to the service and a reception to follow. We invite any and all that want to attend and celebrate him. The release of his remains into the Gulf of America will follow the next day and will be private.

Donations can be made in Rick’s name to FSHD at https://www.fshdsociety.org/ 75 North Main St, Ste 1073, Boston, MA 02368.