Don Bethard

Don Bethard ObituaryObituary published on Legacy.com by McWhorter Funeral Home - Gilmer on Mar. 17, 2026.Funeral services for Don Bethard, 80, of Longview, Texas, will be held at 12:00 pm, Friday, March 20, 2026, at Woodland Hills Baptist Church with Kase Kuykendall, Charles Hunt, and Jeff Bethard officiating. Interment to follow at Sunset Memorial Park in Gilmer. The family will receive friends from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm, Thursday, at McWhorter Funeral Home.Don was born on September 17, 1945, in Little Rock, Arkansas, to U.G. Bethard and Jackie Haley. He was raised in Hughes Springs, lived and worked in Gilmer, and spent his retirement years in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, before returning to Longview. He passed from this life on March 14, 2026, in Longview, Texas. His faith, family, and friends were the most important things to him.Don graduated from The University of Texas in Austin. He was a pharmacist and the owner of the Med-Shop Pharmacy for many years. He enjoyed his retirement golfing, fishing, hunting, and traveling the world with his wife, family, and friends.Those left to cherish his memory are his wife, Judi Bethard; daughter, Amanda 'Mandy' Davis, son-in-law, Mike Davis; grandchildren, Kyli Parz and Nate Davis; brothers, Wayne Bethard (Wanda), and Tony Bethard (Gail); nieces and nephews, and many lifelong friends.He was preceded in death by his parents; son, J. D. Bethard; and his nephew, Jarrell Bethard.Pallbearers will be Tyler Buller, Bill Parrymore, John Nelson, David Skinner, Gary Patterson, Tommy Smith, Laney Grimmett, and Chris Bethard.Memorial donations can be made to Shriners Children's Hospital, https://donate.shrinerschildrens.org or Tunnel to Towers, https://t2t.org.A reception will be held immediately following the graveside service at the First Baptist Church gymnasium, 217 W. Cass St., Gilmer, Texas.Please visit Don's online registration book at www.mcwhorterfh.com to leave a memory for the family.To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.