Obituary of Antonio J Godinez
Antonio J. Godinez, 100, of Centerville (Lincolnville), passed away Friday morning December 22, 2017 at Southwoods Assisted Living Community in Titusville.
Antonio was born on March 21, 1917 in Havana, Cuba, a son of the late Dionisio and America Valor Godinez.
He attended a Jesuit school, The Colegio de Belen, until 1935 at which time his father sent him to Phillips Academy at Andover, MA. After his schooling in Andover, he attended the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1942.
On April 26, 1946, he married Susan Emma Williams, the sister of his roommate at Andover, David J. Williams II. With his wife, he returned to Cuba where he managed a family owned agricultural business, Godinez y Hermanos, between 1946 and 1961. After the Bay of Pigs, he escaped from Cuba to join his wife and four children in Pittsburgh where he had sent them to avoid their living under communism. Throughout his later hardships in life, he would always express himself by saying “I lost more in Cuba”.
He and his family then moved to Puerto Rico where he briefly worked at IBEC, a tuna factory in Mayaquez, P.R. To improve his children’s schooling, he moved to San Juan where he managed Anderson Corp., a die casting company from Kansas City, KS. In the spring of 1979, he retired to Lincolnville where he built a house and lived with his wife until her passing.
He was a member of Masonic Lodge No. 56 while living in Cuba. Tony volunteered for several years at the Titusville Area Hospital. He loved all the beauties of nature and learned to love trees and feeding the birds.
He loved all his wonderful neighbors on South Road at Lincolnville. Every day he looked forward to happy hour with “Cutty Sark”.
Antonio is survived by four children; Antonio “Butch” Godinez and wife Bonnie of Key Biscayne, FL, John “Chino” Godinez and wife Karen of Crescent City, CA, Miguel “Micco” Godinez and wife Jean of Hanalei, HI, and Clarissa “Sis” Godinez and husband Fran Arsenault of Centerville; seven grandchildren; three great grandchildren; a sister, Raquel Cuellar of West Orange, NJ; and was especially close to his nephew, Gustavito Aguirre, who was like a son to him.
In addition to his parents and wife, he was preceded in death by two sisters, Esther Ferreiro and Aurora De Cardenas.
Friends may call at the Gordon B. Garrett Funeral Home 303 N. Washington St. Titusville on Wednesday, December 27th from 2 to 4 PM.
No funeral service will be conducted.
