William "Bill" Godfrey

May 9, 1942 -

Jan 28, 2022

William "Bill" S. Godfrey, 79, of Soldotna, Alaska, passed away on Jan. 28, 2022, while resting at Providence Seward Mountain Haven in Seward.

A funeral mass will be held in his honor at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 9, 2022, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, 222 West Redoubt Avenue in Soldotna. A reception will follow the Mass at Fireweed Hall.

Bill was born on May 9, 1942, in Homestead, Fla. and served in the United States Air Force for 22 years. He had a passion for Alaska and brought his family here in 1971. While stationed at Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks, Alaska, he and his family fell in love with everything Alaska had to offer. During his time in Fairbanks, he served as a U.S. Fish and Wildlife agent where he solidified his love for The Last Frontier. Years later, he was stationed at Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage, Alaska, where he and his family began building their forever home in Soldotna, directly off the peaceful Kenai River. After leaving the service he worked another full career with the State of Alaska Department of Corrections. While with the state, he started a softball program at the correctional facility and continued his commitment to the people of Soldotna as the vice president within his local community center.

He loved motorcycling, snowmachining, four-wheeling, hunting, fishing and taking his boat out on the Kenai River. It was imperative to him that he passed this excitement to his children, family, friends and even strangers. He opened his home to many people over the years who wanted to come up and experience what this great state has to offer. He loved to cook large quantities of food and share endless stories around the campfire. His laugh and smile were contagious in the best of ways and the sparkle in his eyes when he was telling a story was a sure give away that he may have been pulling your leg, a specialty of his. Bill always made sure people in his home felt like family and departed with both plenty of fish and excellent stories - some may or may not have been fully true.

Bill was preceded in death by his son, Matthew Godfrey.

He is survived by his loving wife of 58 years, Linda Godfrey; children, Todd Godfrey, Tanya (Jesse) Barrows, Troy Godfrey and Mark (Leona Sprinkle) Godfrey; sisters, Sandra Walker and Mary Lowe; grandchildren, Amber (Jordan) Hayes, Koryne Godfrey, Colton Godfrey, Blake Godfrey, Chancellor Godfrey, Malia Godfrey, Gabriel Godfrey and Zachary Godfrey; and great-grandchildren, Haven and Hyatt Hayes.

He will be greatly missed by many.

Rather than flowers, the family prefers donations to the church.