Richard T. Godfrey, Jr., beloved husband, father, and grandfather, died of natural causes on Wednesday, Feb.12, at the White River Junction VA Medical Center.
“Dick” was born July 08, 1928, in Norton, Massachusetts, to Richard T. Godfrey, Sr., and Grace (Howard) Godfrey. In 1946, he graduated from Segreganset Agricultural School in Segreganset, Massachusetts. Upon graduation, Godfrey enlisted in the Army/Air Force and was stationed as a gas plant operator at Randolph Field Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. He was deployed to the Philippines and Korea to construct oxygen plants in 1949 and 1950. When the war broke out in 1950, he was redeployed to combat, where he sustained injuries and earned a Purple Heart before returning to the Philippines to construct another oxygen plant.
In 1952, while stationed in the Philippines, Godfrey met Soledad (Sally) Carlotta, with whom he “was immediately smitten.” They married in 1952. They would be married for over 50 years before Sally passed away in 2004 from cancer. Their time together took them from Cape Cod to Florida before moving to Killington in 1967 to raise a family. Godfrey leveraged his mechanical aptitude in Killington by becoming a builder and developer over the next 30 years. His projects included the Barrows Towne Road and Cricket Hill areas in Killington. Godfrey and Sally then spent 10 years in the antique business, where he plied his skills fixing, repairing, and renovating antiques. Upon Sally’s passing, Godfrey spent 20 years in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he kept busy in his community helping neighbors with various odds jobs well into his late 80s.
In 2019, he moved to Quail Hollow in West Lebanon, New Hampshire, to be close to family.
Known for his friendly demeanor and active lifestyle, Godfrey was always in the company of his many friends. At 96, he could still be seen at the coffee group, going out to breakfast or lunch with a buddy, playing Friday night card games and Saturday night cribbage, riding the bus for his weekly grocery shopping trip, or walking around the circle at Quail Hollow getting his exercise.
Dick Godfrey, Jr. is survived by a son, James (and wife Eileen) of Woodstock, Vermont, a son, Stephen of Orwell, Vermont, and a grandson, Lucas of Boston, Massachusetts, who was the apple of his eye. He is also survived by his brother, Norman, of Fort Pierce, Florida.
He was predeceased by his wife Sally, sister Dorothy, and brother Joseph.
Funeral arrangements will be held June 20, from 3-5 p.m. at the Cabot Funeral Home, with a reception to follow at the Thompson Senior Center, both in Woodstock.
Memorial contributions may be made to North Country Honor Flight, PO Box 2644, Plattsburgh, NY 12901. Please note: “In memory of Richard Godfrey, Flight 50.”
An online guestbook can be found at cabotfh.com.
