April 26, 1931 - May 26, 2025
A longtime family physician in Ancaster, Ont., (1960-95), Richard Bethune grew up in Hamilton. He attended Westdale Secondary School, where he excelled in sports, being inducted later into the Westdale Sports Hall of Fame.
He still managed to get good grades — so good that he was offered and accepted an education, fully supported by an alumnus, at Williams College, in Williamstown, Mass. While there, he captained the hockey team, played running back on the football team, ran track, and played lacrosse, all the while studying arts and science, acting as an adviser to younger students, and serving as president of his fraternity, Sigma Phi. He graduated in 1954 with a bachelor of arts degree and was awarded four Williams letters in sports.
His next stop was the University of Toronto, where he played for the Blues, earning a place in the U of T Sports Hall of Fame along with his 1954 teammates. He graduated near the top of his class in medicine in 1958. While his faculty adviser encouraged him to pursue a specialty, Rich knew that general practice was his calling.
After a year with a group in Grimsby, Ont., he decided to establish his own office in Ancaster to be closer to his family. Over the years, he cared for literally thousands of patients, delivering hundreds of babies and loving every minute. He always said that it had been a great privilege to look after his patients, and it was clear that they thought the world of him, too.
Rich was the loving husband of the love of his life, Margaret Lang (deceased 2001) and proud father of Paul (deceased 2003), David and Judy. He was exceptionally fond of his daughters-in-law Carol (Regan) and Ursula (Schmidt), thought his grandchildren Sarah, Scott, William and Eliza were amazing, and adored his great-granddaughter Ada. In time, Rich met Judith McCulloch, widow of the late Dr. Peter McCulloch. When they married in 2005, Rich inherited another family: Peter and Christine, Paul and Melanie, Colin and Maria and grandsons Ian and Michael. Rich was predeceased by his parents, Alan and Heather Bethune, and by his brothers Kenneth and Robert.
In his years of practice, Rich served as the Hamilton Academy of Medicine's liaison with the new medical school at McMaster University, examined candidates for the Canadian College of Family Practice, organized educational conferences, and coordinated a McMaster Department of Epidemiology study of family practice methods and outcomes with the late Professor David Sackett.
In later life, Rich took up painting. He had been introduced to art and architecture as electives at Williams but didn't have time to pursue these interests until later. He later designed his first home in Ancaster.
Rich spent his last year at Shalom Village being lovingly cared for by the dedicated staff and passed peacefully there surrounded by family.
In lieu of flowers donations to Shalom Village or Doctors Without Borders would be appreciated.