Donna Godsey

In the midst of personal setback and declining health, Donna Jean Godsey had the confidence and assurance to lean on her faith in Jesus Christ. Her faith was a living testimony to all that knew her.

Her life began on December 21, 1955 in Kalamazoo, the youngest of four children of Harold Lowell and Bertha Josephine (Murphy) Reynolds. She grew up in Mattawan and attended Paw Paw schools. While growing up she was very active and enjoyed swimming and playing softball.

Poets and songwriters are constantly writing about destiny and love; Donna found both of these one summer on a camping trip at Ely Lake in Allegan. It was there that she met Tom Godsey. It was a romance that started when Donna was a teenager and lasted for the rest of her life. Tom was her soul mate and best friend. After dating for a year, they eloped to South Bend Indiana where they were married in a simple ceremony performed by a justice of the peace on January 21, 1977. They would then begin their married life, along with Donna’s daughter, Berty, in Decatur. The family would later move to the warmer climate of Ft. Worth Texas before eventually returning home to their roots in Southwest Michigan, settling in Lawton in 1986.

Donna and Tom were an inseparable pair and they enjoyed each other’s company. Many lazy summer evenings were spent together fishing. To Donna, fishing was only secondary; the time spent alone with Tom was the prize catch. Being alone out on the lake they could talk and get away from the everyday business of life and concentrate on each other. They also enjoyed taking long walks in the woods and along the beach at South Haven where they would watch the day go peacefully into the night, as the sun would magically slip beyond the horizon of Lake Michigan.

Attending a rodeo was a great way to spend the afternoon. The crowd, the smell and the excitement of this timeless piece of Americana brought out the competitive spirit in Donna. She enjoyed all aspects of the rodeo, but especially enjoyed watching the bull riding competition. She also liked to collect souvenirs and trinkets associated with the rodeo.

Donna loved the outdoors and living where they could have animals. She was fond of her horses, Goldie, Dakota and Utah and enjoyed grooming and caring for them. She spoiled the family dogs, Maggie and Pooh and pampered her cats Deedee and Lardy. All of her animals were like members of her family and each received loving affection and care.

Donna was a member of Community Baptist Church in Vicksburg. She felt secure with her church family as they provided support to her on her spiritual journey. Many hours of prayer by, her pastor and friend, Bob Elmore and the entire congregation brought great console to Donna. She also received comfort and support by singing and listening to the traditional hymns of her faith.

The birth of her two children: Berty and Katie, along with the birth of her granddaughter Stephani were great moments in Donna’s life. Donna wasn’t afraid to tell others her true feelings for them and knew the power of saying " I love you." It was a phrase that she used daily to both Tom and her daughters.

In 1995 Donna’s kidneys were failing and her life was in jeopardy. It was by fate that her best friend and husband Tom was a match. There was no hesitation or doubt; he gave her an extension of life by donating a kidney. The seven extra years of life was a wonderful time for Donna. She took this opportunity to focus on her relationships with her family. Though the transplant altered some of her physical activities, it did not stop her completely in life as she was working as a machine operator at EPC until 2002 when other health concerns forced her into retirement. A heart attack and cancer would only slow her down physically, but her spirit and the courage to live would serve as an inspiration to all who knew her.

Members of her family include her husband Tom, daughters Berty Jo and her husband Bill Goodrich, and Katie, a granddaughter Stephani, her father Harold Reynolds, two brothers: Michael Reynolds and Lowell Reynolds, her sister Kathe Dean and several other nieces and nephews.

Donna went to be home with her Lord, Jesus Christ, on Friday, March 28, 2003. She follows in death her mother Bertha Reynolds.

The family will meet friends at the Betzler- Thompson Funeral Home on Tuesday from 6-8 pm and on Wednesday from 2-4 and 6-8 pm. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 11 am on Thursday at the Funeral Home. Donna will be cremated and her ashes will be buried at the campground at Ely Lake, beneath the tree in which she and Tom carved their initials into so many years ago. To read Donna’s life story, share a memory, make a donation to the Kidney Foundation or to order flowers, please visit her personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com.