Sad news from the Colonial Virginia Council
Don Leeger (DonLeeger@AOL.COM)
Fri, 30 May 1997 10:30:27 -0400
This is a reprint of an article from our local newspaper. Since Dr. Godby=
was
well known in Scouting, I thought there might be some who have missed thi=
s
very sad news.
Ronald Godby, NN dentist; supported Operation Smile
Dr. Ronald E. Godby, a Newport News dentist who completed eight missions =
with
Operation Smile, died Friday, 23 May 1997. He was 55.
Dr. Godby described a two-week trip to the Philippines to the Daily Press=
in
1988 and told of a boy whose face was grossly disfigured by a cleft palat=
e
and harelip.
=93After we selected 160 children for the operation out of several thousa=
nd
applicants, the boy still came each day to the hospital. We didn=92t know=
his
name but we couldn=92t forget those eyes so filled with hope.
=93On the last day we saw him as we went into the hospital. Team members
decided right then that we=92d do everything possible to help the little =
fellow
before we left,=94 Dr. Godby said. The team provided treatment for the bo=
y just
hours before their stay in the Philippines was completed.
Dr. Godby found these missions rewarding. =93We receive much more than we=
have
given. The love is there,=94 he said. =93We=92re blessed with having tale=
nts we can
share. I don=92t think there is a person in the world who wouldn=92t want=
to put
a smile on the face of the little children.=94
Dr. Godby was active in the Boy Scouts of America for the age of 8 until =
his
death. He became an Eagle Scout as a youth and as an adult was president =
of
the local Boy Scout Council.
Scouting honors included the Silver Beaver, the highest honor a Boy Scout
council can bestow on a volunteer; the Silver Antelope; and the Distingui=
shed
Eagle , on of the highest honors in Scouting. He was also a Vigil Honor
member of the Order of the Arrow.
Richard Russell, his neighbor and close friend for 11 years, said Dr. God=
by
was devoted to his family and others. =93Doing for others and loving his =
family
was what he did. He was not just a great friend and father. Not only will=
we
miss him, but the community will miss him. I know His family will, and I =
will
, too. It=92s just a great loss.=94 said Russell.
Dr. Godby enjoyed such hobbies as woodworking, jewelry making, gunsmithin=
g
and photography. =93He was very talented and was a tremendous photographe=
r. He
did things in his workshop and made beautiful cabinets,=94 said Russell.
He was a member of the James River Photography Club, Photographic Society=
of
America (PSA), receiving numerous awards from Harborfest Photoquest, Dail=
y
Press/Times Herald Shutterbug Sweepstakes, Kodak =93KINSA=94 Internationa=
l
Newspaper Snapshot, Mid-Atlantic Wildfowl Festival, and Hampton Wildfowl
Festival, to name a few.
Other awards range from the Hampton Roads Jaycees=92 Distinguished Servic=
e
Award for contributions to the Boy Scouts, the Young Men=92s Christian
Association, the Girl Scouts and the Kiwanis, including organizing the Ci=
rcle
K Club at Thomas Nelson Community College.
Judy Fish said her husband, Bill, was Godby=92s childhood friend in Troop=
No. 8
in Huntington, W.Va. They grew up together and remained friends all throu=
gh
the years, and he was like a brother to her husband.
=93My children all call him Uncle Ron,=94 Judy Fish said. =93He was the m=
ost
wonderful person we=92ve ever had the experience of knowing. Scouting was
number two in his life behind his family. He was involved on a national a=
nd
regional level. It really leaves a big hole in your heart. He was just th=
at
type of guy.=94
Dr. Godby was named to a fellowship in the Academy of General Dentistry a=
nd
was a fellow of the American Dental Association.
He also belonged to the Academy of General Dentistry, the Pierre Fauchard
Academy, Virginia Dental Association, the International College of Dentis=
ts
and the American College of Dentists.
He was past president of the Virginia Living Museum, the Peninsula Dental
Society and the Mercury 64 Kiwanis Club.
The West Virginia native received his undergraduate and doctoral degrees =
from
West Virginia University, graduating cum laude from West Virginia School =
of
Dentistry in 1968. A Peninsula resident since 1968, he owned and operated=
Dr.
Godby and Associates.
Dr. Godby was a member and elder of Yorkminster Presbyterian Church.
Survivors include his wife, Martha A. Godby; his daughter, Leslie G. Mart=
ell,
and her husband, Gregory, of Mooresville, N.C.; his son, Jeffrey E. Godby=
,
and his wife, Stacy, of Columbia, S.C.; his mother, Maomi M. Godby of
Warrenton; his sister, Sue G. McKeague of Northern Virginia; and his brot=
her,
John M. Godby of Sterling.
Memorial donations may be made to the Colonial Council, Boy Scouts, 11725
Jefferson Avenue, Newport News, VA 23601; or to Operation Smile, 52 Post
Street, Newport News, VA 23601
Written by Michelle E. Vaughter
from the Daily Press, Sunday, May 25, 1997.
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City |
