February 14, 1951 ~ October 29, 2020
With broken hearts, we are very sad to say, Alfred George Godson passed away on October 29, 2020, at Salmon Arm, BC, following a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. He was a very strong man and fought this as hard and long as he could.
Al was born in Melfort, Saskatchewan on February 14, 1951, to George and Ann Godson.
Al grew up and went to school in the Melfort area. He was a man of many talents, he worked on construction in Calgary, AB and then took up farming in the Resource area, which he continued to do from 1974 to 2004. He worked very hard, put in very long hours and did a great job of farming his land.
Al married Kathryn Vera LeBarre on November 7, 1975. He then built a house for them on his land in the Resource area where he farmed. He was a man of many trades.
Al and Kathy welcomed the arrival of their baby girl, Ali Kathryn Godson on June 28, 1987. (Who is so much like Al it is amazing).
Al loved farming, wood working, fishing, driving and fixing things, for himself and for others (there was always lots of fixing to be done). Amazing at problem solving and always interested to know how things worked. He always managed to figure out how to fix anything, no matter how long it took to figure it out. He was awesome in so many ways, a very fun and loving husband and father, a genuinely nice, friendly, smart person, brilliant actually. You could discuss anything with him and he would know what you were talking about. Always interesting to talk to him
He loved very much, to visit with all he came into contact with, no matter if it was a friend of his that he had known for years or someone he just met, he always made the time and enjoyed very much talking to people. He made a lot of really good friends and anyone who met him enjoyed visiting with him and listening to his stories, of which he had many.
Al farmed until 2004 when the family moved to Calgary, Alberta. He worked on construction for a couple of years and loved driving any machine he was asked to operate. In 2006 the family moved to Vancouver, BC, where he took on the job of being the Building Manager in the condo where the family lived, (from which came many more stories from Al). Turned out condo living was not for him and the family. In 2009 the family moved to New Westminster, BC. He then worked for a restoration company which brought new challenges for him, which he tackled and managed well, as he always did. Next he moved on to helping out a Hospitality Group which came with many more new challenges for him and again there was nothing he wouldn’t tackle and solve for them.In 2020, Al and Kathy moved to Blind Bay and then on to Salmon Arm to be close to and spend more time with Ali and Preston.
He loved to drive and would always jump at a chance to hop in the vehicle or go explore a new place. Al & Kathy had some fun road trips in the past few years to Palm Springs, Yellowstone, the Washington/Oregon/California coast which he thoroughly enjoyed, and the usual yearly road trip back to Saskatchewan to visit friends and family. He could not get enough of driving, it was one of his favorite things to do. Al also loved Hawaii. Kathy and Al first visited the islands in 1986 and returned many times with their daughter and eventually their son-in-law too! So many fun family memories were made on those islands. We are looking forward to having a Mai Tai on Waikiki beach in his honor as soon as we are able.
Thank you to everyone who sent flowers, cards and messages. Your thoughtfulness is greatly appreciated. Thank you to all the Doctors and Nurses who cared for Alfred over the past year. Your care and kindness to him was very much appreciated.
Alfred will be deeply missed and very lovingly remembered by his wife, Kathy, daughter, Ali and son-in-law, Preston, relatives, friends, and all who knew him.
Memorial contributions may be directed to Shuswap Hospital Foundation, PO Box 265, Salmon Arm, BC V1E 4N3