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Rev C. B. Godsey May 10, 1919 --- April 29, 1978 |
| A Soldier Marches Home From Battle |
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On Saturday
evening April 28, 1978, at 5:30, Rev. Clarence Brady Godsey
heard the clarion call from above and entered into the eternal
home about which he had preached since he was a 14 year old boy.
C. B. Godsey was born in North Chattanooga on May 10th 1919, and educated in the Chattanooga schools. He was saved at the Bell Avenue Church of God (now the North Chattanooga Church) when he was 14 years old during a "Layman's revival." Brother E. L. Simmons was pastor of that church when Brother Godsey was converted, and when he met and married Lois Pangle. It was Brother E. L. Simmons who performed the ceremony. Brother Godsey served in the European theatre of war during World War 11, stationed in Germany, and upon his discharge from the Army he attended Lee College. Rev Godsey pastored the Kelly's Ferry COG; the Whitwell Church, the Chattanooga East Ridge Church; and was pastoring the Knoxville Eighth Avenue Church when he was involved in a traffic accident which for anyone else might have ended his active ministry, but for Brother Godsey, it only changed the form of his ministry. When word was received of his injury in July of 1954, little did we realize that in the next twenty -four years we would see a life that would unfold to be a legend in its own time. In this condition, he , his wife, and little daughter Melinda moved back to East Ridge, on Mc Brien Rd. just a few blocks from the church and Brother Godsey became a monument to the community of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his motorized wheelchair he traveled the streets of East Ridge and talked with local people, encouraging them and spreading sunshine through his contagious smile. To anyone who was not privileged to meet Brother Godsey personally reading his obituary was just another announcement, but to those of us who knew him, it was the announcement of a great commencement exercise which began for him on Saturday evening April 29, 1978. With a whirl of wings and a burst of light, angels stepped into the intensive care unit of Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga to carry Brother Godsey to his eternal home. I can imagine hearing him say just as he passed through the Pearly gates: "Angels, set me down, I want to run the rest of the way!" This was the happiest time that he had ever known, for he was approaching the throne room of God, and once again he could stand, walk, run and shout with his arms lifted high as we had so often seen him do when he pastored the East Ridge Church in the early 1950's The miracle of Brother Godsey's faith in God transformed the cold, gray pain and utter hopelessness which the traffic accident brought to his life into a golden tapestry that spread sunshine to others whose problems diminished and even disappeared when they came in contact with him. Brother Godsey's unfaltering faith, Sister Godsey's love and their daughter Melinda's smile of hope pointed out to all who knew them what Paul must have had in mind when he through the Holy Spirit wrote 1 Corinthians 13. The funeral of "Bee" Godsey was as different as the life of "Bee" Godsey had been! It seemed very appropriate to have a beautiful and victorious funeral service for a man who had lived a beautiful and victorious life. Rather than mourning the passing of a loved one and remarking "It's all over," friends and family alike had this feeling that "His life had just begun" . . . when the voices of some forty fellow ministers were raised in the a cappella singing of the old song "Victory In Jesus," one could feel a measure of God's resurrecting power. The funeral was conducted at the East Ridge Church of God with Rev. Messrs, W. E. Johnson, John D Smith, Brother Wendell Smith officiating. Brother Wendell Smith reminded us at East Ridge that Moses saw God in a burning bush; the children of Israel saw God in the form of a cloud by day and a fire by night, but we had been privileged to see God in the life of a man. Yes, even though he was confined to a wheel chair Rev. C. B has left very deep footprints in the sand of time! Brother Godsey is survived by his wife, Mrs. Lois Pangle Godsey, one daughter , Melinda , who is now Mrs. Steve Holder, and she and her husband are very active in ministerial work around the world. Everyone who knew uncle Bee, was blessed beyond words by his influence as well as by his words of encouragement. He was there for me went I lost my husband in 1960. Whenever I, or my mother, who was a sister to his wife Lois was sick. He would call us and tell us that God would be with us and that everything would turn out OK. It always did, but we always knew that we had his prayers behind us. This world is a better place because Rev. C. B. Godsey passed our way. We are the one's who were blessed by having him to be in our lives. I know that Uncle Bee wouldn't want me to end without mentioning the great devotion of love that was given to Uncle Bee by his wife Lois and their beautiful daughter, Melinda. Their love and nurture for Uncle Bee was an inspiration to us all. You don't see that kind of love every day. I am thilled that God searched around when I was in the orphanage and made me part of their family. They have been an inspiration to me and I know to thousands of others. I do want to say thanks to all who helped with all the information. Mrs. Lois Godsey, Melinda Holder. Written by Barbara Lance and me,Judy Cleckler.
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