Members of the Godboldos’ dance troupe at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church, where homegoing ceremony for family matriarch Lovey Godboldo, 102, will be held Tues. June 2, 2o15
HOMEGOING of LOVEY GODBOLDO
Sunrise January 24, 1913; Sunset May 26, 2015
Hartford Memorial Baptist Church
18700 James Couzens Fwy., Detroit, MI 48234
Tuesday, June 2, 2015; Family Hour 10 am; Service 11 am
Viewing Swanson Funeral Home, 14751 W. McNichols, Detroit, MI 48235
LOVEY BOONE GODBOLDO
Lovey Boone Godboldo was the third-born child to the union of Junius T. Boone and Sadie Thompkins. She was born in a little city near Montgomery, Alabama, on January 24, 1913. When she was three days old, the family moved to Detroit, Michigan, where she lived until her death at 102 years old. She departed this life peacefully in her sleep on Tuesday morning, May 27, 2015.
Her parents, 7 siblings, and 2 daughters (the late Jewell Peggy Lile and the late Gail Diane Boudreaux) preceded her in death. She met Walter Alonzo Godboldo and married him when she was 19 years old. The couple had 12 children, 6 boys (Walter, Jr [Sonny], Dale, Derrick [Billy], Joel Allen, Junius [Dean], and Darwin) and 6 girls (Sylvia, Patricia [Patsy], Jewell, Gail Diane [Gailney], Penelope [Miss Penny], and Maryanne [May]. All but two of their children, Dale (Texas) and Billy (Florida), live in cities in Michigan.
Lovey was a very good mother. We all know how difficult it is to raise 2-3 kids; we can imagine how difficult it must be to raise 12! At one point when she only had 7 children, she went to work for a short time as a secretary to help bring in money for the family, even though her husband was a highly paid master mechanic at the time. She did not attend church often during her child-raising period, but she read the Bible to her children daily and saw that all of her children did go to church often and even attend summer bible classes. They knew to call on the name of Jesus when times or situations were tough! She taught them many great values of life, like honesty, faithfulness, patience, endurance, and the importance of believing in Jesus and being a loving person.
She maintained a home until the age of 80 at which time her daughter Maryanne moved in and cared for her. Five years ago she began decline and her daughter Penny and her husband, the late Stephen Brooks, cared for her together until his death two years ago. Penny and other family members (Lisa, Darwin, and a good friend of the family Ms. Ellen Jackel-Rasool) continued her care for her up to the end last week.
She was an adorable person who loved all of her children equally and was loved by all who knew her. Lovey leaves to cherish her life and memory 10 of her children and their spouses, her many grand children and great grand children, a few cousins, and a host of in-laws and friends. May she rest in peace.
I am sorry that I did not get to spend some time with Aunt Lovey before she died. I, as a child, always knew where she and Uncle Sugar, as my Uncle Walter was affectionately known most of my life, lived; from the West Side off of McGraw, out near 8 Mile Road, and on the North End. I often visited Aunt Lovey and talked with her. I know that she was an avid reader which impressed me a great deal and motivated me to want to do the same to keep up with her and what she was reading. I am sure that encouraged and inspired me to enjoy books, even text books, as I traversed the education route. Aunt Lovey was a kind gentle lady, who never seemed to get upset and was always very encouraging.