James Carl Godwin
You hear and read of people losing their battle with cancer and other illnesses, but for James Carl Godwin, he didn’t have a chance to even make a battle plan, let alone fight one.
His diagnosis of acute leukemia came as a shock and sudden blow, both to him and his family and within a week he was gone from us. He passed away Tuesday, Feb. 10, at the Bonners Ferry Acute Care Facility.
Jim was born in Eagletown, Okla., on Aug. 26, 1923 to Lola and John Godwin. At 18, he left home to join the army, where he served as a heavy equipment operator On furlough at a USO dance in Spokane, he met the love of his life, Claire Orleans Cossiart of Naples. After a 3-month courtship, on July 20, 1947, they married at the Northside residence of Claire’s aunt and uncle, Mildred and Hollice Aldridge.
The newlyweds moved to San Francisco, where Jim drove a cab and Claire worked at a bank. They quickly decided the city wasn’t a good place ti raise a family and moved back to Bonners Ferry where Jim worked as a mechanic helper at Quinn’s Garage. He went on to become a Master Mechanic, employed at Hines/Gamblin/Plum Chevrolet for over 20 years. In the mid-70’s the entrepreneurial bug hit him, and he and Claire bought the Texaco Station on Main Street, which they successfully ran for over 10 years.
He will be sincerely missed by his wife Claire of Bonners Ferry,; daughters, Anne and her husband Gary Regehr of Naples; Lisa and her husband Doug Dirks and Brandon and Christi Regehr, all of Naples; Amy Regehr of Burlington, Wash.,; Jared and his wife Jen Wilson and Amanda and her husband Jason Jordan of Whittman, Ariz., plus numerous great-granddaughters and great-grandsons; sisters, Melba Joanne Godwin, Virginia Franklin of Walla Walla, Wash., and Charlene Henley of West Blockton, Ala. He is preceded in death by his parents and brothers, Harold and Chuck.
Jim didn’t know a stranger everyone was fair game to talk and talk he did, sometimes much to wife Claire’s dismay. “The ornery old coot” Claire’s words would strike up a conversation with anyone and talk at length, whether over the back yard fence, on the post office steps or in an airport. He always had an opinion or advice for his daughters or grand-kids. But this old coot had a sentimental heart of mush and tear came easy, whether we were separating for a weekend trip or leaving to move across country. He always tried to avoid the good-bye by slipping away early and that’s exactly what has happened in his death he slipped away early and quickly.
The man with the sentimental heart had trouble attending funerals, so it’s no surprise that he didn’t want one for himself.