News Archive
Joe Godefrin 1947 - 2012
Joe Godefrin, Grand Life Master and one of Florida's most well-known players, died of colon cancer May 20 inSarasota FL. He was 65.
Godefrin had most of his tournament success with Ed Schulte of Tampa FL. They won the Leventritt Silver Ribbon Pairs in 2004, and they played together in three second-place finishes in North American championships. Godefrin had more than 20,000 masterpoints to his credit at the time of his death.
Schulte was best man at Godefrin's marriage on Feb. 12 to Bobby Ray, his companion of many years. Another well-known Florida player - Diana Holt of Lake Worth - was the maid of honor. Schulte said Godefrin, a regular In-Between Duplicate Bridge Club in Sarasota, "was loved by everyone at the club."
Godefrin was born and raised in Sarasota, where he lived all his life. He worked for 30 years as a paramutuel clerk at the Sarasota Kennel Club, a dog and horse racing track. For a time, he was a minor celebrity outside the bridge world in Sarasota because of a television commercial he did for his employer.
