GODARD, Edward

GODARD, Edward J (Ted) - 1917-2010 - We are sad to announce the passing of Ted Godard on June 17, 2010 at Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver at the age of 93. He was the son of a railroader and a child of the depression, who went on to study Mining Engineering at the University of Alberta. Upon graduation, in 1939, Ted moved to Sudbury and began a 40 year career with the International Nickel Company of Canada. That same year, Ted married the love of his life, Helen Morrow, from Edmonton. Ted and Helen raised their family in Sudbury and moved to the West Coast upon retirement, where Ted discovered a great fondness for the West Vancouver Sea Wall. At the age of 80, Ted made the decision to record his walks on the Sea Wall. In 8 kilometer stretches he mapped a journey from Vancouver to Newfoundland and back. Over a number of years he completed that distance and was determined to continue mapping his kilometers on the Sea Wall until he had completed a similar journey from Vancouver to Tuktoyuktuk and back again. Ted could easily be recognized as the elderly man walking along the West Vancouver Sea Wall with hunched shoulders, extending greetings to passersby with a grin and a cheerful hello, until the latter part of 2009 when his health began to fail him. To the end, he was a wonderful man with a keen mind, a brave heart and great love of people. Ted made our lives richer. He will be sadly missed by his family and friends who came to know him throughout his many years of life. He is predeceased by his loving wife Helen and survived by son Donald, his wife Marie (Mercer) and, their sons Mark and Matthew, as well as his daughter Susan, her husband David Kaukinen, and their children Kerry and John. Ted""s family is grateful to the staff at Lions Gate Hospital for their care and comfort and asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be directed to the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation or the BC Children""s Hospital. A celebration of Ted""s life will be held on Tuesday August 3, 2010 at the Boal Chapel in North Vancouver, BC at 2:00pm.