Getting to Know Patty Godfrey – Helping Hands President

Patty and her younger brother, Butch, were born in Waco, Texas. Her father was in the military and then worked
at the Post Office. Her mother worked for Connally Air Force Base Credit Union and retired from the McLennan
County Clerk’s Office.

Growing up in Waco, Patty had a happy childhood and had her own horse, named Kokomo. Her Uncle Joe and
Aunt Ollie bought   Kokomo for her for $30.00. Patty says he was a funny looking creature, but to her, he was
beautiful!  Riding Kokomo wherever she wanted was one of her best childhood memories. Her aunt and uncle were also a big influence in her faith life.

She had a lot of Sicilian Italian family on her mother’s side and several ran neighborhood grocery stores or shoe repair shops. Her grandparents owned a grocery store famous for its meat market and bakery. Sunday afternoons were spent at her grandparents’ home where they feasted on delicious Italian food which usually included spaghetti and meatballs.  
Because of Uncle Joe and Aunt Ollie’s encouragement, she attended Reicher Catholic High School. After high school she went to Baylor University for two years and worked part time at a sign shop.

While at Baylor University, St. Mary’s Church of the Assumption formed a club for single Catholics. This group had social events and drove children from a local orphanage to Mass on Sundays in ‘The Blue Goose’ bus. This is when Patty met her future husband, Marty Godfrey. He was a second lieutenant from New York who was in navigator training program at James Connolly Air Force Base. Patty and Marty started dating.  

Marty left Waco for additional training in Sacramento. They continued the courtship while he was away. Patty took a trip to visit him in San Francisco and on this trip, Marty proposed. They married in Waco at James Connolly Air Force Base Chapel with an Honor Guard and drawn swords – a wonderful memory for Patty. Their honeymoon was an eventful trip to Colorado in Marty’s small MG sports car on the way to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, Marty’s first assignment. During their stay in Ohio, their son, Stephen, was born. After Wright-Patterson, Marty was transferred to a Military Airlift Command assignment at Travis Air Force Base in California where their daughter, Lisa, was born.

 After the Air Force, Marty went to work for the Federal Government and his first assignment was Glasgow, Montana. They were in Glasgow a little over a year and Patty remembers how difficult it was for her, the ‘Texas Girl’, to live on the coldest street in the coldest city in the coldest state in the United States. Fortunately, the next assignment was Seattle, Washington. They stayed in Seattle for the summer and then transferred to Yakima where they became foster parents and were blessed to adopt their son, Bryan, an adorable three-year-old boy.

During their 11 years in Yakima, they lived on a small farm that the whole family worked. They had lots of animals, and within a few years everyone in the family had a horse or pony to enjoy. Patty talks about the wonderful mountain ranges and innumerable trails for hiking and riding. Frequently they loaded up the horses for trail rides in the Cascades.  They were members of St. Joseph’s Parish, a Jesuit Community and the children attended the parish school. They are still in contact with their parish pastor and have wonderful memories of the people.

The next transfer was a dramatic change!  They moved to the ‘megalopolos’ of Los Angeles!  There Patty worked for the Huntington Beach Independent School District as a guidance counselor for the Adult School and completed her college degree from the University of Redlands.  They enjoyed Los Angeles, but the Texas girl was desperate to get back to her Texas roots and Italian family. Their next move was to Houston in 1987.  While in Houston, Patty worked with the Houston Health Department overseeing the Animal Licensing Division. Eventually, she got her real estate license and broker’s license while working at one of the prestigious real estate offices in Memorial. She also became a Master Gardener - something she always wanted to do. Marty retired in 1995 and they moved to their recreational property along the Guadalupe River. 

There were many gardening opportunities in Comal County and soon she became president of the Comal Master Gardeners.  Creating a Butterfly Garden for the residents at New Life Children’s Center was one of the first projects.  Volunteers from St. Thomas worked on this project with the girls and other volunteers.  There was also a team from St. Thomas who facilitated bible study and retreats.  One of Patty’s greatest honors was to teach the herb class for each new Master Gardener group.  She held the classes at her home along the river.  Another community involvement was visiting a nursing home with her Therapy Dog, Rilee, for over seven years.

They attended daily Mass at St. Thomas frequently and enjoyed the ‘Morning Mass Group’.  

The ‘500 year’ flood of 2002 was a life changing event for the Godfreys. They had 4 feet of water in their small cottage.  However, the first morning they could return to the property, a crew of friends from St. Thomas and Master Gardeners showed up to help.  They are so grateful for all those friends! During the hard clean-up months, they would take a break and get away from it all. They visited eleven states in eleven months. They moved back to Katy for three years but continued to be part of the St. Thomas community and Comal Master Gardeners. They rebuilt and came ‘back home’ in 2006 and enjoy family visits at the river with their six grandchildren.

For fun they have taken trips and cruises in the states and overseas. Some memorable ones were the Holy Land, The Mediterranean, France, Ireland, Italy and, in particular, a visit to Sicily.

Patty has always been involved not just in the community but also within the church. She was on the Pastoral Council, involved with the Youth Ministry programs, organized the creation of the Meditation Garden, and now is President of Helping Hands.

Thank you, Patty for your commitment to the Community and St. Thomas!