The Tribune

By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

JOHN Frederick “Johnny” Bethell, the longtime president of Bethell Estates Ltd who helped establish the Governor General’s Youth Award and served in business and civic life for decades, died peacefully at his Eastern Road home on June 3. He was 81.

His son, John Harold Bethell, remembered him as a devoted father, businessman and community servant whose life was anchored in family, service and a deep love for The Bahamas.

Bethell led the family business for decades and remained involved with it for more than 60 years after joining at 18, following his return home from his studies.

In his final years, his son helped care for him, preparing breakfast, accompanying him to medical appointments and helping with daily needs as illness gradually weakened him.

"It was good in many ways to learn about this business, about trying to learn as much about him, and to continue with what he was doing," Mr Bethell said. "And then learning about the cancer, you know, that was the depressing part."

Despite repeated blood transfusions, Mr Bethell said the family recognised that the elder Bethell’s condition was worsening in the final weeks of his life.

"He tried and he fought, and then his body just gave up on him," Mr Bethell said. "His mind was still there, and then it got to the point where the body gives up on you, and the mind just can't do it anymore."

Mr Bethell said caring for his father gave him a deeper appreciation of the responsibilities he carried as head of the family business and patriarch of the Bethell family. Sitting in on meetings and observing discussions with managers and directors helped him understand his father not only as a businessman, but as a person.

In the days after his father’s death, Mr Bethell said he received calls and messages from people across The Bahamas, many sharing stories he had never heard.

"People have been showing up out of the blue with just incredible stories and things I didn't know that they did with my dad at that time," he said.

He said the messages came from people from many walks of life and reflected the impact his father had over the years.

Mr Bethell said his father remained deeply attached to New Providence and never seriously considered leaving permanently. He recalled a man whose life was built around long-standing friendships, daily tennis, family, community and business.

"He'd get up every day, go for a walk, play tennis with John Morley, Frankie Wilson, he had about six to eight of them, and play tennis every single morning," Mr Bethell said.

Those matches became one of the fixtures of his father’s life.

Bethell’s civic and business involvement also included service on the board of directors of Tribune Radio Limited from 2015 to 2023.

Tribune Media Group chief operating officer Ollie Ferguson said Bethell brought a steady and measured presence to the organisation.

"During his tenure, he was a calm and sensible presence whose contributions were always thoughtful and constructive," Mr Ferguson said. "He consistently served as a voice of reason in discussions, drawing on a wealth of life experience and sound judgment to help guide decision-making."

Mr Ferguson described Bethell as "a true gentleman and scholar" whose wisdom, professionalism and steady demeanour left a lasting impression on those who worked with him.

"His presence will be deeply missed," he said.

Mr Bethell was regarded as the patriarch of the extended Bethell family, a role his son said he carried with quiet authority and respect.

"We've always said that the patriarch of the family was him," Mr Bethell said, noting that relatives affectionately called him "Uncle Johnny".

His son said Bethell remained deeply committed to civic and community service throughout his life. He helped establish the Governor General’s Youth Award and remained involved with the organisation until his death.

He also served for many years with the Bahamas National Trust, where his son said he helped expand the country’s national parks system in the 1980s.

"For long years he was on the BNT and instrumental in helping get the parks in the 80s," Mr Bethell said.

Beyond business and civic duty, Mr Bethell’s son recalled a man of wide-ranging interests, including computing, genealogy, stamp collecting, fishing, horticulture, piloting and tennis.

He described his father as an early computer enthusiast who maintained company computer systems during the era of large mainframe machines, an avid fisherman and pilot who travelled extensively throughout the islands, and a dedicated horticulturalist known among family and friends for his orchids and mango trees.

Bethell also cultivated a passion for genealogy and Bahamian history, spending years tracing the Bethell family tree.

According to his son, the research took him to archives in Bermuda and England and helped trace the family’s presence in The Bahamas to the country’s earliest settlers.

"He actually went to the old naval libraries and tracked the family all the way back," Mr Bethell said.