Richard Sidney Godfrey January 9, 1944 - October 8, 2021

Richard Sidney “Sid” Godfrey was born on January 9, 1944, in Brooklyn, New York to Dudley Keate and Virginia Harbert Godfrey. The oldest of four children, Sid was very close to his grandparents and spent most of his childhood with them in northern Wyoming. His family moved to Billings, Montana where he spent most of his schooling years. He loved spending summers with his grandparents, helping his grandfather around the farm and supplying the sheepherders on the Pryor Mountains.

Sid’s family moved to Murray Utah when Sid was a senior in high school. He received two high school diplomas; one from Billings West High School and another from Granite High School.

Sid held a wide variety of jobs. He was a resourceful and creative provider who wasn’t afraid of hard work. He started working young selling newspapers, dishwashing, and spent his summers working with his father installing road signs and billboards for 3M National Advertising. He had many adventures as a wildland “Hot Shot” Firefighter, he learned to use heavy equipment and got on with Jess Willis improving roads in YellowStone National Park, and then finished High School working at the local Albertsons. He later worked for Winder Dairy.  He was proud of his work and loved to share memories about hand delivering milk to David O. McKay’s home. He went to work on the track gang at Kennecott Copper Mine. He worked his way up to shovel loader, grader operator, haulage truck driver, brakeman on the railroad, and engineer. He rode on the end of the train holding on with one hand signaling the engineer with the other, day and night, winter and summer and was involved in two separate runaway train wrecks to provide for his family. During the many layoffs over contract negotiations he would reinvent himself , he hauled sailboats from California, piloted oversized loads for Caterpillar, he even started his own trucking company, Sid Godfrey and Son’s. He retired with 32 years of honorable service. He started a corporation that opened Cash Depot in Okemah Oklahoma. He had an entrepreneur spirit and was always on the lookout for his next endeavor!

In 1963, Sid married Bonnie Tueller. Together they had three children. They later divorced. In 1987, he met the love of his life, Christine Renfroe, and on September 12, 1988, they were married in Jackson, Wyoming  overlooking the Teton mountains. They were later sealed in the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple on January 12, 2002, together with their two children and remained devoted to each other and the gospel throughout his life.

Sid loved classic cars, John Grisham novels,  John Wayne movies, and gun collecting. He was a true gentleman and also loved everything to do with being in the great outdoors. He loved hunting, horses, time spent in the mountains. He loved horse racing, driving his chariot team and participating with his son’s Nascar racing team.

He served in many church callings. He was called to the Benjamin 2^nd Ward Bishopric for 7 and a half years where he was able to positively impact many people and change many families. Most meaningful to him was his time serving as a temple worker in the Provo Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Temple. Sid exemplified service and taught his family a good work ethic as well as serving those around them.

His family and his faith were the most important aspects of his life. His grandkids were absolutely everything to him.

He loved meeting new people, learning about their lives and telling stories of his. He was interested and interesting to everyone he ever met. He never met a stranger!

Sid is survived by his beloved wife, Christine, and their children Richard (Susan) Godfrey, Brett (Liz) Godfrey, Neil (Michelle) Godfrey, Nicholas (Jessica Arter) Godfrey, and Lacey (Elliott) LeSueur. He is also survived by 17 grandchildren, and 15 great-grandchildren as well as his siblings Mitch (Bonnie) Godfrey, Gail (Terry) Averett, and Mike (Polly) Godfrey.

A viewing will be held on Friday, October 15, 2021, from 6 until 8 in the evening at Walker Funeral Home, 187 South Main Street, Spanish Fork, Utah. A second viewing will be held on Saturday, October 16, 2021, from 10 until 11:30 at the Benjamin LDS Chapel, 3238 West 7300 South, Benjamin, Utah, with the funeral service directly after the viewing at 12 o’clock noon. Interment is to take place at the Spanish Fork City Cemetery.

The funeral service will be broadcast live via the following link:  https://bit.ly/2I7nUJN