His magical life has drawn to a close for 91 year old Richard T. Godfrey, with a wonderful high achieving family across the globe, recipient of international and national recognitions, meeting with presidents and other world leaders, initiator of economic developments with thousands of jobs, wide ranging adventures from para-sailing in Acapulco to deep sea snorkeling at Molokini and even to the sky high residence for him and his wonderful wife, Mary Jean in the heart of Chicago.

Richard T. Godfrey of Chicago, former Mayor and Town President of Normal, Illinois, retired director of international public relations for the Eureka floor care company, emeritus director of  Advancement and former director of Public Affairs for Illinois State University and a former newspaper editor and reporter, and radio news director., has accepted the hand of God, even to the end gazing in farewell to his wife and family and viewing for the final time the sun rising over the blue waters of Lake Michigan from their Chicago condo in landmark and iconic  twin Marina City 60 story towers.

His family is his wife of 70 years, Mary Jean; four daughters all of great pride, Karol Powell, LeeAnn Ulman (Zel), JoAnn Godfrey, Vickie Godfrey Apostolos (George)  and accomplishment, 12 grandchildren,  all college graduates or enrolled, and seven great grandchildren, located from Switzerland to New York City to Atlanta, Chicago, Texas, and California and places in between,   Mary Jean and Richard have resided in the storied Marina City Towers overlooking the Chicago River and Lake Michigan for over 25 years along.  Mary Jean was and is the key, serving with dignity and elegance as First Lady of Normal when Richard was mayor, to meeting and charming world leaders, to cooking dinner over a camp fire, to always working a second job, to moving when the time was right.

In describing Rich's career as mayor, at the time he retired as mayor, the Bloomington Daily Pantagraph wrote, "Godfrey was the point man for Normal's surge from a sleepy college town into a thriving post-industrial community.  His feverish efforts to create healthy business attest that he is credited with creating a climate for enabling Normal to become the fastest growing city in the state."

As mayor from 1976-85, he initiated and developed  an economic development program that included successful invitation to the Mitsubishi corporation to locate its North American plant in Normal, indoor shopping malls, scores of new businesses, and coordination of merchants for redevelopment of then downtown Normal, plus  over $35 million in new street construction, all new neighborhood sodium lighting for safety, expanded public safety operations, and a new headquarters fire station.   He chose not to seek reelection to a third term, even though he had won 86 percent of the vote in the previous election.

He received more than 15 national, state and local awards and recognitions and met with five U.S. presidents, ambassadors, foreign prime ministers and leaders in Washington, New York, across the U.S.  and abroad.  Those awards included National Park Service Rangers Corps appreciation, National Park Foundation, American Heart Association national Flame award, Raptor Center University of Minnesota for preserving American Eagles, U.S. Coast Guard Public Affairs national first place, Normal Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Citizen award, Illinois House of Representative Resolution; Illinois State Senate resolution, Normal Rotary Club, Rotary national Paul Harris award, Eureka Company Employee of the Year, Illinois State University Alumni Achievement award, Illinois State University award for service as mayor of Normal, City of Asahikawa, Japan for sister city efforts, and hometown City of Streator, Illinois city council Proclamation of commendation.

He served in the U.S. Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary, joining the day after the 9-11 terrorist attack at the age of 67, since the Auxiliary had no age limitation.  After various assignments, including cutter guard and patrols, he became Auxiliary staff officer for pubic affairs for Great Lakes Division Two and received national first place award for his public relations program.   As a member of the Coast Guard, he also received a certificate as a founding member of the United States Department of Homeland Security.

His public relations cause-marketing program for Eureka on behalf of National Parks, American Heart Association and preservation of American Eagles was cited as a model for the nation by Strategic Marketing Magazine.  He was honored by the U.S. National Park Service Corps of Rangers for creating the National Park Rangers of the Year award, presented in person each year by the President of the United States in the White House with Eureka executives present.

As mayor for 9 years, Richard made the successful personal proposal to Mitsubishi President Toyo Tate and two weeks later in person to Kazao Naganuma, Mitsubishi North American vice president, to locate Mitsubishi's North American manufacturing plant in Normal.  In a unique happening, Richard invited Bloomington Mayor Buchanan to join his city in.   The proposal from Normal won over five other states. Naganuma said later that on his early visit with Godfrey and Buchanan, he made the decision that Normal was going to be the site of the new plant. Naganuma, in his visit, was taken on a helicopter tour of the proposed plant site by Godfrey and Buchanan.  Later, Naganuma stated that he decided on Normal that very evening at a dinner with the mayors.

Rich was selected as one of only 17 U.S. city mayors to travel on a U.S. State Department authorized trip to Cuba to meet with President Fidel Castro and city officials in a quest by President Carter to open new relations with Cuba.  Rich and Mary Jean's photo by Associated Press appeared in the New York Times and other U.S. papers.

With the Eureka Company, at the time the largest producer of vacuum cleaners in North America, Richard took the company all the way to the White House with his program to support preservation of national parks and especially his creation of the National Park Rangers annual Rangers of the Year award presented by President Clinton.  He was invited six times for the ceremony and shared those with Eureka executives.  Eureka donated large sums for preservation of national parks.

In a ceremony at the historic Willard Hotel in Washington, the National Park Foundation and the Secretary of the Interior presented Rich an award later followed up with a large plaque and Ranger hat and an invitation to do volunteer work with the National Park Service.    He was honored at the University of Minnesota Raptor Center for his nationwide programs to preserve American Bald Eagles, taking live Eagles to promotions on military bases and in Chicago and other cities.

A lifetime of varied experiences for Rich is capped by his being invited to the White House eleven times, including six times for presentation of the National Park Rangers of the Year awards which Godfrey had created and funded through Eureka.  President Clinton made the presentations.  Godfrey later was presented the unique large public service award by the Corps of National Park Rangers.   As a volunteer later, Richard and Mary Jean assisted in development of programs for the Pearl Harbor Memorial Center, Manzanar Japanese internment camp and Eugene O'Neil center in Danville, CA.

As a part of this program known as World Vac, Rich also conducted national appearances on behalf of the American Heart Association about heart issues with women.  For that, he received the national Flame award of the Heart Association in Dallas.

Eureka donated over $750,000 to the Heart Association.

At Illinois State University for 27 years prior to Eureka, Godfrey served as Director of Advancement, director of the division of Public Affairs and president of the ISU Foundation. He was among five major administrators on the ISU President's staff.

As director of public affairs, Godfrey was responsible for News Service, publications, Alumni Services, Development, Parent Services, telecommunications, postal service, sports information, printing, WGLT radio station, photographic services, Vidette newspaper.

When he retired, his duties were spread among four administrators.  He also was public address announcer for ISU football and men's basketball and also the Illinois High School Association state football championships.  He had a nightly ISU news program over WJBC and a weekend interview radio program over several stations, including St. Louis.

From his many experiences, Rich received numerous national and local awards.  At Eureka, the leadership referred to him as magic for his many successful nationwide ventures.

His greatest achievement, however, is his family, his wife Mary Jean to whom he was married 70 years ago, his successful four daughters, 12 grandchildren with exceptional careers from Switzerland to California and points in between, and seven great grandchildren.   In Mary Jean, he chose the cutest former cheer leader in Streator who became his super smart encourager.

After retirement from Eureka in 1998, Mary Jean and Rich lived in the clouds in the 60 story Marina City Towers, overlooking the Chicago River and Lake Michigan in the River North district of Chicago, along with his daughter and family. For many years, they spent their winters at their cottage in California. . They traveled to many countries in Europe, Asia and central America.

His extensive national and international connections did not stop with mayor, community or university, but expanded through his award winning national and international cause marketing environmental and health programs at Eureka Company through national park preservation in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, the American Heart Association and the Raptor Center o the University of Minnesota to protect and save the majestic American Bald Eagles.  Strategic Marketing Magazine labeled Godfrey\s endeavor as the "Best Cause Marketing Program in America.

He served his country in the U.S. Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary as staff officer for public affairs for Great Lakes District 2 and was a founding member of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.  He joined the Coast Guard one day after the Sept. 11 tragedies in New York City, Washington and Pennsylvania at the age of 67, serving in uniform for nine years including being recognized for the best public affairs program in the Coast Guard Auxiliary nationally and also doing guard and patrol duty for the Coast Guard, including the Cutter Mackinaw.  As such, he was a veteran of the Coast Guard and a member of the American Legion.  He also helped establish nationwide private fund raising support for the Coast Guard Auxiliary.  He was staff officer for public affairs for Great Lakes Division Two.

Godfrey was described by the leadership at Eureka Company as "magic,"  for the nationally recognized multi-million dollar cause related programs he created, capsulizing a life that saw him rise from totally working his way through college with jobs as a garbage truck driver, factory worker, jewelry store clerk,  prison clerk, postal clerk and newspaper reporter to multiple heights in which he was invited to the White House 11 times by four different presidents, with his wife traveled the world, met leaders of foreign countries, attended a public audience with Pope Benedict, and enacted educational, environmental and health programs nationally and internationally.  In a test by the company to see if public relations alone, without advertising, could sell vacuum cleaners.   Richard's cause marketing resulted in the sale of over 500,000 high priced World Vac vacuum cleaners.

The keystone of the Godfrey dynasty was that 70 years ago, on June 12, 1954 in St. Stephen's Catholic Church, Streator, he married Mary Jean Fialko, the girl of his dreams and they have four highly successful daughters and 12 grandchildren and seven great grandchildren scattered about the country and Europe.   Their daughters and all of the grandchildren and sons-in-law are alumni of 24 different colleges coast to coast and Scotland and London, and in professional careers from New York to California to Switzerland.  They are all leaders in their widely varying professions.

Mary Jean was a licensed real estate agent for Gallery of Homes in Bloomington, assistant to the director of Alumni Services at Illinois Wesleyan University and Executive Secretary in the Auto Actuarial Department at State Farm Corporate Headquarters.

All four daughters, graduates of ISU and other universities, have had exciting, successful and important careers. Karol, now in Austin, TX, is a retired field executive with State Farm Insurance with coordination of 35 agents in Silicon Valley, California.   Lee Ann, Atlanta, GA, retired as a special education teacher in Georgia.  Jo Ann, suburban Chicago, is a department manager for Macy's in Aurora, IL.  Vickie, Chicago, is Director of Operations for GEMS World Academy in Chicago and former president of the Chicago Hotel Concierge Association. Their 12 grandchildren, all college graduates or in college now, have successful careers in Washington, DC, Switzerland, Italy, New York, Atlanta, Austin, TX, Chicago and Los Angeles, in Education, Law, Retail, Medicine, Merchandising, Marketing, Motion Pictures, book writing, Video Production, computer websites, and restaurant chef in NYC, and management in positions from Switzerland to New York to Chicago to Los Angeles and five states in between. Their spouses also are all college graduates with extensive careers.  In all, the family has degrees from 24 different colleges and universities with more on the way as far away as London.

As mayor, he introduced regular public opinion surveys to help guide decision making, frequent detailed reports to the citizenry, economic development that led to Normal's top tier bond ratings, and leadership of other central Illinois cities in confronting utility rate increases for citizens. He initiated a new formula for state funding of fire departments in cities in Illinois with large state operations that otherwise paid no property tax.

As a council member for four years, Godfrey was involved in development of a new water supply for Normal from deep wells west of the city, building of a new city hall and police department, headquarters fire station, public works center, and library, conversion to a full time fire department and heightened safety for railroads in the city.   All of these advances led to Normal having the second lowest property tax rate among Illinois cities.

A major aspect of his role as mayor, Godfrey made sure to involve the entire citizenry, conducting public opinion surveys of town services and asking people for suggestions about how to improve the town.  He also wrote regular news reports about town operations and had them printed as ads in the Daily Pantagraph.  It was less expensive than printing a mailing piece, plus it got the Normal story out not only to Normalites but also 50,000 homes throughout central Illinois.  Through these ads, he also invited owners of business to locate or relocate in Normal.  Many did.  One such ad proclaimed, "Normal is open for business!" No other city was doing such self promotions.

As mayor, he created Normal's first ever economic development program with assistance from wife Mary Jean as they researched nationwide companies they could invite to Normal.  The result was 250 personal letters to the presidents of corporations, along with a new brochure on Normal that Godfrey wrote.  He made trips to Washington, DC to visit federal agencies, tp approach major  companies and retailers, often at his own expense and using vacation time from his university job to do so.  No operation was too big for Godfrey to approach, including federal agencies, NASA, all major hotel chains, all major department store chains, and the largest manufacturers here and abroad.  He esd  former city and state editor of The Daily News Tribune, La Salle-Peru, IL; former news director of radio station WLPO, La Salle, IL, and former night national news editor and reporter for The Daily Pantagraph, Bloomington, IL.

Highlights of his professional careers included being invited to the White House 11 times by Presidents Carter, Reagan, GWH Bush and Clinton, six as mayor and six for presentation by the President in the White House  of the National Park Rangers of the Year awards which Godfrey created and funded through Eureka.  He was an official host in Normal for visits by Presidents Ford, Reagan and Bush; Vice President Hubert Humphrey,  and First Ladies Roselyn Carter and Barbara Bush.   He and Mary Jean officially welcomed President Ford and then Presidential candidate and Mrs. Reagan on their visits to Normal-Bloomington.   Richard also hosted President G.W. Bush on his visit to ISU and met with him later in Springfield.  On one occasion, Godfrey arranged for a private tour of the White House for all ten of Eureka's top executives in recognition of Eureka's million dollar support of National Parks and took several to the White House for presentation by President Clinton of the Eureka-sponsored National Park Rangers of the Year awards.

National awards he received include the Distinguished Service award by the National Park Service Corps of Rangers for initiating and funding the coveted National Park Ranger of the Year award, presented  by the President of the United State at the White House;  the national Flame Award of the American Heart Association for his nationwide promotion of information about heart disease in women and his contribution, on behalf of the Eureka Company, of nearly a million dollars for heart research;  First Place in the Nation award for public affairs programs by the U.S. Coast Guard  Auxiliary; Special Recognition Award by the University of Minnesota Raptor Center for funding and promoting the preservation of American Eagles in appearances across the nation.

He was also recognized at the annual meeting of the U.S. Parks Service at the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC, by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior and the National Parks Foundation for his initiation, creation and funding of educational kits about preservation of national parks, distributed to over 40,000 schools nationwide, and for donating, through the Eureka Company, millions of dollars for preservation of national parks, the American Heart Association and the Raptor Center of the University of Minnesota for preservation of  Eagles.  He took the live Eagles and their trainers to special presentations at U.S. Air Force bases in Florida, Washington, California and other locations in the nation to inform the public about the then-endangered species.

He also initiated and carried out public information programs for the Canadian National Parks Partnership, the Canada Heart Foundation  and the Mexico National Park Service, with financial contributions to both.

He managed travel of various celebrity spokespersons and achieved valuable exposure space for Eureka on national television programs and personal appearances in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston and other major city media.

He was first chairman of the McLean County Economic Development Council.  He initiated Normal's Sister City affiliation with the City of Asahikawa, Japan, joining with the City of Bloomington.

As mayor of Normal. he made the successful proposal to President Toyo Tate of the Mitsubishi Motor Company to locate its American manufacturing plant in Normal and initiated a unique joint partnership with the City of Bloomington to share in the project, enlisting the involvement of his good friend, Richard Buchanan, the mayor of Bloomington.  Mitsubishi joined with Chrysler to name that plant Diamond Star and it produced cars under both the Mitsubishi and Chrysler names.

While mayor of Normal, he created Normal's first economic development program.  He created with private investors the large enclosed College Hills indoor shopping mall and worked to attract new businesses to Normal, including hotels, restaurants and retailers.  At the same time as College Hills Mall developed, Godfrey proposed to downtown Normal merchants a plan for a city-funded million dollar complete redevelopment of the downtown with new streets, decorative street lighting and a unique winding roadway with trees and other landscaping.  During this time, he and the Town Council led the expenditure of $35 million in new street construction.

All of this activity and more was done with conservative financing due to the increased outside tax revenues and federal grants, giving Normal the second lowest property tax rate of any city in Illinois.

As a member of the Town Council for four years before mayor, he was directly involved in the development of a major new water supply for the Town, building of a new City Hall, Police Department and a new fire station and public works center, and expanded parks facilities including a second city swimming center.  He initiated a 10-mile run in Normal and its first street festival that later was merged into the Sugar Creek Art Festival and he initiated Normal's Sister City relationship with Bloomington and Asahikawa, Japan.

He traveled extensively to meet with potential new business and government opportunities for the Town.  He took his own personal vacation time to take those trips and paid many of his own expenses.  He and his wife, Mary Jean, were invited by the U.S. State Department to join a group of 17 U.S. mayors to travel to Cuba to meet with city counterparts and also the president of  Cuba, Fidel Castro.  Their photo appeared in the New York Times and an article about his meeting with Castro was front page news in newspapers nationwide as Castro revealed to Godfrey his plan for gradually allowing private enterprise in Cuba.

He led a group of central Illinois cities in opposing a large rate hike by a power company with result being the ICC lowering the increase.  Godfrey was vice chairman of the Chicago McCormick Convention Center expansion and addressed the State Senate in its support.

His efforts on behalf of Normal were fitted into his full time job as Director of University Advancement and President of the Foundation at ISU.

He co-initiated the concept of TV 10 News at ISU along with Communications Department head Ed Streeter and transformed the Vidette student newspaper into a daily newspaper.   He was public address announcer for all ISU men's basketball and football games and P.A. announcer for the Illinois High School state football championships for over 10 years.  He also had four radio programs, doing celebrity interviews weekly on three stations, a nightly news broadcast on WJBC, and a weekly interview program with ISU football coach Larry Bitcon on WIOK.   He was honorary chairman of the fund raising committee for Redbird Arena.

He and Mary Jean rode the President Ford campaign train with first Astronaut Alan Shepherd and later met  Vice President Humphrey, Vice President Quayle, British Prime Minister Anthony Eden, First ladies Barbara Bush and Roseann Carter, Israeli Prime Minister Sharon, Astronaut James Lovell, Governors of Illinois and Hokkaido, Japan, Secretary of State Kissinger, numerous national sports figures like Michael Jordan, and many others.   They and daughter Karol attended an audience with Pope Benedict at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Special experiences included throwing out the first ball four times at Busch Stadium St. Louis, and Wrigley Field, Chicago; taking the controls for a short time of an Air Force National Guard fighter-bomber, para-sailing in Acapulco, and going on Air Force VIP trips to Cheyenne Mountain, National Defense Command at McDill AFB, the space center in Cocoa, FL, and meeting with other big city mayors in Atlanta, Denver, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Washington.   The White House invited him to a landing of the Space Shuttle at Edwards AFB in California.  Rich played basketball (for five minutes) against Hall of Famer Michael Jordan in a VIP charity game for Special Olympics while he was mayor.

He and Mary Jean moved to a condo in 60 story Marina City Towers in Chicago after he retired from Eureka and Mary Jean retired from her position as executive secretary in auto actuarial at State Farm corporate headquarters and as a real estate agent in order to be close to their daughters.  He was elected to the condominium board of Marina City, getting the most votes of seven candidates.

Rich joined the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary at the age of 67 the day after the 9-11 tragedy in 2001 and served for nine years, including active duty with the Coast Guard for ship guards and patrols.  He was staff officer for public affairs for Great Lakes District Two and his public relations program was judged best in the nation.  He did guard duty for the Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw and did security patrols for the Coast Guard of the Chicago lake front during special events.  He helped form the Coast Guard Auxiliary's first fund raising program.   As a member of the Coast Guard, he was a founding member of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and received a certificate from DHS Secretary Tom Ridge.

Active in community and national organizations, he was president of the St. Joseph Hospital Community Board, Bloomington; vice president of the Normal Chamber of Commerce; vice chairman of the MARC Center Board; member of the YWCA advisory committee;  member of Normal Rotary Club;  past member of the Knights of Columbus and Moose Lodge, La Salle; Lions Club, Normal.   The Godfreys were charter members of Epiphany Catholic Church, Normal, members of Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago and St. Lucy Parish, Campbell, CA.  He was first chairman of the McLean County Economic Development Council, chairman of the Issues and Answers Forum, and chairman of the Chamber committee that developed a unique economic outreach program utilizing McCormick Place trade shows.  He is a member of the Letter Winners Club at Illinois State (baseball) and was sports editor of the student newspaper and manager of the Redbirds baseball team.

Rich and Mary Jean traveled to 19 foreign countries and all across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.  Their trips abroad were often in bed and breakfast hotels.  On their trips to Japan, they were honored extensively by the City of Asahikawa and the governor of the Province of Hokkaido.  Among cities they visited were London, Edinburgh, Vienna, Bratislava, Havana, Munich, Bertzchgaden, Zurich, Canne, Monte Carlo, Mexico City, Toronto, Victoria, Tokyo, Kyoto and Sapporo, Brussels, and many others.

Rich earned his entire way through ISU with summer jobs and after school.  As a factory worker at Owens Illinois Glass in Streator, he shoveled ground glass into a blast furnace.   As a  garbage collector for the city of Streator, he emptied garbage cans and drove the hydraulic operated garbage truck.  While a store clerk at the Sheridan Penitentiary, he checked in all equipment and supplies for the prison, lunched with the warden and guards, and played second base for the Guards baseball team which scrimmaged the prisoners' team.

While in high school, he was an usher for a theater and also worked after school for a jewelry store both clerking and janitorial.  At holidays, he worked in the Streator Post Office.  His first job was at age 12 working in a nursery transplanting flowers into pots.  He also caddied at the Streator Country Club golf course.  After marriage and college graduation, he always had a second job to help support his family of his wife, Mary Jean, and four daughters, although Mary Jean worked as well.   Rich and Mary Jean each worked two jobs virtually at all times during their long marriage.

Early in their marriage, money was always in short supply. Rich was a student taking a full load of classes, doing student teaching and working eight hours a night at the Pantagraph, while Mary Jean worked at Livingston's Department Store until Karol came along.  They first lived in one room apartments with shared baths.  But they were happy.  Their lives were magic.

When Rich was honored as Citizen of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce, he said in acceptance, "Anything I have been able to do Normal has been more than repaid by what Normal has meant for my family and me.  Legend has it that Camelot lasted for a thousand days. For my family and for myself, Normal has been our Camelot every day we have lived here."   This for a person who first arrived in Normal over 55 years earlier with only $20 in his pocket.

Rich was born at home in Streator June 29, 1933, son of William J. and Vera Craft Godfrey.  His father was city editor of the Streator Daily Times Press.

In addition to his bachelor's degree in secondary school education in English and History in 1955, Godfrey returned to college  to earn a Master's Degree in higher education studies from ISU in 1990.  He was a qualified English and history teacher, though he never taught.  He also earned a Real Estate Sales License from the State of Illinois but never entered the real estate business.

After retiring from the Eureka Company, Godfrey had his own public relations operation in Los Gatos, CA, where he did pro bono (free) consulting with Mary Jean's involvement for the National Park Service on the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, the Manzanar Japanese internment camp in California and the Eugene O'Neill Historic Site in Danville, CA.

Retirement has been a ball.  Their condo in the 60 story famous Marina City Towers in Chicago has a glorious view from their outdoor balcony of Lake Michigan and the numerous architecture tour boats on the Chicago River, with spectacular sunrises.

While spending winter months in their home in California, they made numerous journeys around the West, especially to the Lake Tahoe area, and up and down the coast, which was just 20 minutes away.  Every day was an adventure, with the same in Chicago with all of the activities there, including his work with the Coast Guard and serving on the condo board at Marina City.  Rich, Mary Jean and Vickie are members of the Trump Tower Fitness Center, a half block away.

Their many trips abroad were often on shoe string expenditures, staying in bed and breakfast second class hotels, visiting museums, churches and cathedrals in England, Scotland, Wales, Switzerland, Italy, France, the casinos at Monte Carlo, the beaches of southern France, Mexico, Canada, Cuba,  Japan, Germany, and some 48 states.  Rich and often MJ snorkeled in Hawaii, mountain climbed in California, Switzerland, and South Dakota, para-sailed in Acapulco, swam in Cuba, cruised the Caribbean, skied at North Star at Lake Tahoe, dined in the White House and the governors' mansions in Springfield and Sapporo, Japan. They camped outdoors in campgrounds from 11,000 feet in Colorado to sea level all over the country, all six of them and one dog in their tent trailer, but they also stayed in five-star luxurious hotels in Tokyo, Hawaii, Germany, New York, Washington, and Havana.  And they stayed in bed and breakfast hotels in London, Bertschesgaden and Vienna.  They toured palaces, war museums, art galleries, theaters, ships, and on and on.  One Nazi concentration camp at Dachau, a horrible day.

Through it all, Rich always was there for his family, attending school events, watching their cheer leading at University High, and taking the family on camping trips with their small tent trailer in most states from Colorado to the east coast.  All four daughters received the very best grade and high school and college educations, graduated from ISU laboratory schools,  Metcalf School and University High School,  and all from Illinois State.  From their small Cape Cod home on University Court in Normal, the girls were able to walk just three blocks to all their schooling on he ISU campus, from pre-kindergarten through college.  Their teachers at each level were all university professors.  All of the Godfrey daughters and their 12 grandchildren are graduates of or currently attending 24 different universities and colleges from coast to coast.

In later years, Rich texted to their four daughters and grandchildren a different morning prayer to begin their day.

So, a magical family life.  This is not the end, not even a pause.  The march is only a new beginning.  The Godfrey clan has many different names from marriages but they all have two things in common, Richard and Mary Jean.

For a poor kid from Streator with holes in his shoes, covered over with cardboard, it grew to be a life of pure magic, adventure, family love and family pride.   Their own Camelot? No, not really.  Camelot couldn't even begin to compare.

Visitation will be held on Friday, January 17, 2025, at Holy Name Cathedral, 735 N. State St., Chicago, IL, at 9:30 a.m. until time of the Funeral Mass at 10:30 a.m. Please wear bright colored attire in celebration of his life. A livestream of the Funeral Mass will be available at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x64Vq4U-0wA .

Donations may be made to Northwestern Memorial Foundation, PO Box 734985, Chicago, Illinois 60673-4985. Please make checks payable to "Northwestern Memorial Foundation" and include Richard T. Godfrey in the memo line. Donations can also be made online at https://nmgive.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=1286 or over the phone at (833) 443-8663. Your gift will support Northwestern Medicine Prentice Hospital Surgical Oncology Research Fund.

For further information please call 312-421-0936.