Richard Wellons Betts

Native Charlottean Richard Betts has passed at the age of 66. He was born and raised in Charlotte and was the son of Barton and Ray Betts. He attended Myers Park Elementary, A.G. Junior, and Myers Park High Schools. With his family, he lived two years in Iran. Richard attended UNC Chapel Hill on a Morehead scholarship, where he completed BS and MS degrees in applied mathematics. At UNC he was Phi Beta Kappa and a star fencer. He also spent a year as exchange scholar to Paris.

Following a period of travel in South America, Richard returned to study Computer Science at Georgia Tech; then worked for Harris Corp. in Melbourne, Florida for several years, where he also married and had two children. He then moved to Europe, where he worked for 20 years as a telecommunications systems designer for Alcatel and Ericsson in Belgium, Italy, Germany, France, and Australia. In his work, he contributed to many important developments in data and cellular networks, and published a number of technical papers. During this period, his home was on the coast at Lavinio near Rome, as he travelled and worked internationally.

Richard later retired to Costa Rica, where he bought and managed a private nature reserve and built several houses. He also remarried during this period. His last formal work in telecommunications was for Telefonica in Ireland in 2008.

Under his pen name, Pafu, he wrote and published ‘The Beginner’s Game’ and other books, proposing new methods of playing the chess opening. He also invented an international auxiliary language, ‘Esata’, and published a collection of poetry.

Richard’s life is distinguished by his international experiences, his profound love of life, and his devotion to family and friends. He leaves behind his mother, Ray Betts of Charlotte; sisters, Marianna and Kathy; brother, Donald, daughter, Jiva Betts of Utrecht, and her two children, Elizabeth and LLewyn.

A visitation will be held from 10:00 to 10:30 am on Tuesday, April 7, 2015, with a service following at Harry and Bryant Company, 500 Providence Road in Charlotte.

Memorials may in given in Richard’s memory to Save the Children Foundation www.SavetheChildren.com.