Godfrey Cheshire Jr.

1918 - 2016

Godfrey Cheshire, Jr.

July 17, 1918 – November 30, 2016

Raleigh

Godfrey Cheshire, Jr., of Raleigh passed away on November 30, 2016, surrounded by his loving family.

Born on July 17, 1918, in New Orleans, where his mother was living while his father served in France during World War I, "Buddy" was the son of Godfrey Cheshire and Alice Calder Shiell Cheshire. He was the grandson of North Carolina Episcopal Bishop Joseph Blount Cheshire.

One of the "old Raleigh boys," he grew up in the Cameron Park neighborhood during the 1920s and '30s. He attended Raleigh city schools, Sewanee Military Academy in Tennessee and North Carolina State College before transferring to the University of North Carolina, from which he was graduated in 1940.

He joined the Naval Reserve in the summer of 1940 and was commissioned an ensign in the United States Navy in September, 1941, at Northwestern University in Chicago. He went on active duty that same month. He served on Destroyer Escort 21, the Harold C. Thomas, in the Pacific theater throughout World War II and was its commanding officer for a year before the war's end. In later years, he enjoyed his membership in the Destroyer Escort Officers Association.

He began his career as a business executive with Superior Stone Company of Raleigh before joining the Navy. After the war, he returned and worked for the company and its successor companies, serving as Vice President prior to his retirement in 1981.

He married Elizabeth Sprague Silver of Raleigh in April of 1949. The couple resided in Raleigh and were devoted parishioners of the Church of the Good Shepherd, where he served on the Vestry as both Junior and Senior Warden.

An active participant in Raleigh civic life, Buddy served as president of the Carolina Country Club, the Raleigh Rotary Club and the Terpsichorean Club. He was chairman of the board of Capital Associated Industries and a director of the NCSU Education Foundation; represented the Eastern Judicial District of the North Carolina Selective Service Board and served on the Wake County Board of Social Services as well as the First Flight Centennial Committee as a designee of Sen. Jesse Helms. He was a member of Society of the Cincinnati and Milburnie Fishing Club.

He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Elizabeth "Sis" Silver Cheshire; sons Godfrey Cheshire III of New York City and Sprague Silver Cheshire of Durham; daughter and son-in-law Elizabeth "Sugar" and Joseph McOwen of Raleigh; granddaughters Sarah Cheshire and Davi Cheshire; grandson Joseph Cheshire McOwen; sister, Emily Cheshire Dockery of Myrtle Beach, SC; and numerous nephews, nieces and cousins.

A true Southern gentleman, Buddy touched many people with his kindness, love and radiant smile.

A funeral service will be held on Saturday, December 3, at 11 a.m. at the Church of the Good Shepherd, followed by burial at Oakwood Cemetery.

The family will receive friends during the week at their home on Wake Drive.

The family would like to express their deep gratitude for the excellent care provided by the staff of Mayview Convalescent Center of Raleigh. We love you all.

Memorials may be made to the Church of the Good Shepherd, 125 Hillsborough St. Raleigh, NC 27603.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Brown-Wynne Funeral Home on Saint Mary's St.