Andrew Godfrey Obituary

Andrew Godfrey 1940 ~ 2006 Andrew (Andy) Godfrey, 66, geologist and teacher, died early August 18, 2006 at the University of Utah Medical Center from complications following surgery July 27 for a brain tumor. Andy, and his wife Marie whom he leaves behind, had been residents of South Ogden for 14 years and Utah for 35 years. Their daughters, Alida Copping and Sabrina Freewynn, and a granddaughter, Sage Freewynn, all live in Portland, Oregon. His mother Sophia Godfrey of Brunswick and Blue Hill, Maine; sisters Caroline Werth of Blue Hill, Maine, Georgiana Leonard of Freeport, Maine, and Sophia Bauer of Burlington, Connecticut; and many friends and relatives are also stunned by the precipitous ending to his otherwise happy and healthy existence. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania May 31, 1940 to Ellwood and Sophia Moore Godfrey, Andy grew up on the East Coast, living at various times in Philadelphia; Quantico, Virginia; West Hartford, Connecticut; Princeton, New Jersey, and summers in Blue Hill, Maine. He attended Lawrenceville School and completed his undergraduate education at Franklin & Marshall in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. As a geology graduate student at The Johns Hopkins University, he met Marie St. Pierre, then a graduate student in genetics. They were married September 1, 1968 as Dr. and Mr. Godfrey, with Andy receiving his Ph.D shortly after. Andy taught at Vanderbilt University and then joined the U.S. Forest Service. After 33 years as a geologist, land-use planner, public affairs officer, and National Environmental Policy Act coordinator and trainer, he retired May 31, 2004. He received numerous awards and commendations for his work. Andy's insatiable curiosity about the land and landforms led him to study erosion in a wide variety of settings. He most wanted to be known for his work in the Mancos shale lands near the Henry Mountains, Utah. Just before his diagnosis, he closed out his 40-year study of erosion in an area now designated as a Natural Resource Area. He still had two areas under study near Caineville, Utah. Andy's family express their deepest gratitude for the care and prayers they all received during Andy's short but intense battle with brain cancer. They request that memorial contributions be made to the Utah Shakespearean Festival, 351 West Center Street, Cedar City, UT 84720. An informal memorial celebration is planned for Saturday, August 26, from 4-7 p.m., at the Huntsville Guard Station in Huntsville, Utah. Friends and their families are invited to bring food and an "Andy story" to share. Directions and additional information are available by calling 801-564-7702 or 801-391-9890 or online at [email protected]. Andy's ashes will be scattered in the many places he loved, including Honduras, Nicaragua-where he certified as a scuba diver at age 64-and Segovia, Spain-where he practiced geology and mentored Jos‚ Martin Duque.

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Published by The Salt Lake Tribune on Aug. 22, 2006.

Memories and Condolences
for Andrew Godfrey

4 Entries

Jay Noller

September 11, 2006

Andy helped set me straight in my thinking about the landscape development of the Henry Mountains when I was a grad student a few decades ago. He was a strong defender of CB Hunts work and provided invaluable insights to the geomorphology community. I went on to follow in his footsteps, teaching surficial processes at Vanderbilt U. My condolences to his dear ones.

Ken Pierce

August 25, 2006

I enjoyed Andy's company and collaboration on presenting the Yellowstone Hotspot story. Andy had a grerat knowledge on landscapes and how they formed.

David Wilkins

August 25, 2006

On behalf of the geomorphology list, of which he was a longtime member, we are truly sorry at his passing and send our deepest heartfelt condolences.

Andy in Death Valley on Charlie Hunt field trip, ca 1971

John Costa

August 22, 2006

Andy was a friend for many, many years. I most enjoyed his sense of humor, and love of geomorphology. We were fellow graduate students at Hopkins, but he left the year I arrived. We still grew to know one another by a variety of ways, including the photo I am adding. It is of Andy in Death Valley about 1971. He had joined the Charlie Hunt field trip. Wayne Newell, Bert Swan, and I had driven from Maryland to Death Valley for the trip (Wayne insisting that we drive no faster than 55 in his International).

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