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Rotarian Richard Godwin, 72
Born January 27, 1931, in Hyannis, Neb., Godwin lived in San
Diego County for 69 years. A
self-employed contractor, he worked in the construction
business for 36 years and built many houses in the
region. He and his wife, Ann, later
started a bookkeeping business known as The Balance Sheet.
He was a former Valley Center school board member and
volunteer Fire Chief in
Valley Center, California.
"Dick was a very dedicated, community-minded guy," said Van
Quackenbush, former publisher of the
Valley Center Roadrunner. "Every Monday, you could
always count on seeing him at Rotary. And he had a
great desire to increase Valley
Center green space and retain what we have."
California Bank and Trust Manager and Chamber of Commerce
President Nicky Lovejoy agreed.
"Even in the past two years, when he wasn't feeling well, he
worked tirelessly to get land for a
new park," Lovejoy said.
Many Valley Center residents may remember the Godwins' 50th
wedding anniversary held at Lake San
Marcos on Feb. 14, Marge Quackenbush said.
"What a beautiful day that was," Marge said. "Both Richard and
Ann were all dressed in white. They
danced the Anniversary Waltz. You could tell it was
a little difficult for him, but he made it through
fine."
Longtime friend Bob Hutchings was also at the Godwin's
anniversary party. "Richard
told me that day, 'You know, I can't tell you how satisfying
this is to me, to have my whole
family here like this,' " Hutchings said. "He
was a very happy guy."
Hutchings said that both he and Godwin served in Korea and
would occasionally talk about their
experiences there.
Godwin was known for his willingness to volunteer for
community projects. "He was nearly a
charter member of the Valley Center Rotary," Hutchings said.
"He came in just a year or so after we started it in
1966. Richard was always up for
anything that sounded worthwhile, with his time, money and
effort."
Richard and Ann's daughter Jeanne Cornett said, "My brothers
and I feel privileged to have been
raised by such a wonderful man. He taught us so much
about life and made us the people we are today."
Godwin is survived by his wife, Ann,; sons and
daughters-in-law Dennis and Phyllis
Godwin of Castle Valley, Utah; Gary and Sallie Godwin of
Tulsa, Okla.; Jeffrey and Dawn
Godwin and Brian and Laura Godwin, all of Temecula;
daughter and son-in-law Jeanne and Dennis Cornett of
Escondido; nine grandchildren; and
two great-grandchildren.
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