Helen Swope Godwin

Helen Swope Godwin, age 92, of Jacksonville, Florida passed away on Friday, August 26, 2022 after a long and joyful life. Helen was born in St. Petersburg, Florida on January 2, 1930. She attended Texas Christian University and the University of Florida, where she was a charter member of the Gamma Theta chapter of Delta Gamma Fraternity. While at the University of Florida, she met the love of her life, Russ Godwin, and the two were married in 1949. Following their wedding, they moved to Jacksonville.

Helen and Russ were blessed with two children, Russell Junior and Cheryl. Helen was a dedicated and compassionate community volunteer and a member of Southside United Methodist Church for more than 65 years. She relied on and deeply valued her personal faith and also had a passion for learning about and respecting other religions and belief systems. She was both a past president of United Methodist Women and the Interfaith Council of Jacksonville. While chairing the Interfaith Council, she established community-wide Issue Forums for residents of Northeast Florida to share about their religions and developed partnerships with the UNF Interfaith Center and Baptist Health.

After raising her children, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Jacksonville University in 1973. A life-long learner, she served as a Trustee for Bethune Cookman College, on the Committee of 100 for the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, and as a member of the Advisory Council of the Department of Religion of the University of Florida. She also served for three years as a volunteer instructor for the AARP Drivers Education Course for senior adults. She was an alumna of Leadership Jacksonville class of 1995.

Helen was a 70+ year University of Florida booster and football season ticket holder. Her hobbies included being an active Bridge player, a voracious reader, a classical music lover, a great friend, and immensely proud of her family.

One of the great tragedies of Helen’s life was losing her son, Russell, at the age of 38 to alcohol and drug addiction. She used that loss to share her message about the disease of addiction with the community and was an active member of Al-Anon, as well as an active member of and volunteer for The Compassionate Friends Jacksonville-Orange Park chapter. Through The Compassionate Friends, she helped other bereaved parents transform their pain and grief into hope by compiling the newsletter and serving on the Steering Committee for years. She also cared for her husband, Russ, through his battle with Alzheimer’s until his death in 2001.

Helen is predeceased by her parents, Grady and Julia Swope; her husband, Russ Godwin; her son, Russell Godwin, Jr.; and her sisters, Evelyn Swope and Nancie Crabb.

Helen is survived by her daughter, Cheryl Grymes (Steve Donelan), her sister, Gloria Lobnitz (Ed), daughter-in-law Angel Throop (Jeff), and her seven granddaughters, Leah McDermott (Joshua), Jessica Graber (Chad), Ashley Muro (John), Heather Bush (Brian), Alissa Suski (Tim), Stephanie Donelan, and Rachel Goldstein (Jeff), as well as 14 great-grandchildren and six nieces.

A celebration of her life will be held on Friday, September 2 at 10:30AM at Southside United Methodist Church in Jacksonville, followed by a reception in the Fellowship Hall. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to The Compassionate Friends, OneJax, or the Alzheimer’s Association.