Death 1988 July, in Oregon City, OR
Married
1939 Dec 3, Howard W. Godfrey
b. 1917 October, in Colorado Springs, CO
c.1942 Arthur Wiggin
1944 Aug 5, Raymond H. Asher
b. 1922 October 21, in Miami, OK
d. 2003 August 30
Children
Maryalice Godfrey
Born 1940 December 8 in Denver, CO at St. Anthony’s Hospital
Married
1964 Patrick M. O’Grady
1975 to Donald Heavilin
1995 to Raymond Springer
Elizabeth, Bertha & Howard Godfrey
Elizabeth and Howard Godfrey, c.1939
Elizabeth’s first marriage was to Howard Godfrey when she was 18 years old. At the time of my birth, Howard was 23 years old and he worked as an apprentice sheeter in a machine company. I have photos during that time and greeting cards from my father; otherwise, I was too young to remember him.
Elizabeth with daughter Maryalice
Her second marriage was to Arthur Wiggin around 1942. He could play the trumpet and composed a song for her to be played on the piano. It was called “Make Our Dreams Come True.” He was in the military and while stationed in Salt Lake City got a medical discharge.
Elizabeth and Raymond Wiggin
We moved to New Hampshire and were surrounded with lots of love from his family. I luckily captured the heart of Raymond Wiggin (Arthur’s father). I was only three years old the last time we saw each other. He sent me greeting cards with written messages until I was a young woman. Such messages as: “Miss you so much. The trip to the park, playing baseball, the swings and teeters, throwing rocks in the pool, our fire in the fireplace where Maryalice worked hard picking up leaves and sticks to keep it going,” “We surely had fun together and you were always such a jolly and friendly young companion.” I called him Pocketbook because of all the books he gave me. I’m glad my mother continued to write him telling about my life as I was growing up because it is fun to go back now and read them. After her divorce from Arthur, she moved to New Jersey to live with her brother, Bob Newlun.
Maryalice Godfrey with Howard Wiggin "Pocketbook"
Elizabeth with daughter Maryalice
Mom met Raymond Asher through her brother, Bob Newlun. They served in the military together. She married Raymond in 1944. We lived in parts of California and Oregon.
Elizabeth and Raymond Asher, 1944
Raymond worked as a logger while in Oregon and when we moved to Gould, Colorado in the late '40s, he worked with his brother-in-law, Fred Lindquist in a saw mill. We lived in a small cabin with no running water or inside toilet. We had a coal burning stove that Mom used to heat water and do her cooking. Refrigeration was by an icebox on the front porch. The winters were cold with lots of snow. We lived near the Lindquist and Stout families. We were there for a few years and later moved back to Oregon.
Fred Lindquist saw mill with Ray Asher, Gould
Elizabeth in front of cabin in Gould, CO
Raymond never wanted Mom to work and most of the time she did stay home. She provided a clean and comfortable home with her love, good cooking, decorating for the holidays, making my clothes for school, and much more. In her spare time, she liked to do handicrafts and was very good at it. She did embroidery and crocheting better than anybody I knew. Mom and Raymond divorced in 1971.
Later, she traveled with a long-time-friend, Wes Sheldrew. They traveled to San Carlos Bay, Mexico and parts of the US as well. Not too long before Wes died; they
stayed closer to home. During the times she was home, she made pretty flowers by using the sea shells that she collected from the beaches in Mexico or she would order them from the shell catalogs. She sold or gave them away to whomever would like to have them.
Wes Sheldrew and "Bess"
Her life changed drastically when she was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1987. Her sister, Lucille Lindquist, came out from CO to be with her. I was still working and couldn’t be with her full time. I appreciated Lucille being there for Mom. Elizabeth spent her last years in the Oregon City area.
Going back to my childhood days; Mom was so loving and loyal to me. These were all good qualities. I could not have had anybody more dependable and loyal than she was. She is greatly missed.
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