GODFREY, Willabelle Ivan Passed away peacefully in her sleep on Christmas evening with her granddaughters and great-granddaughter by her side. She was 93. Born in Ford, Washington on March 16, 1921, she was the eldest surviving child of twelve born to Buford and Anna Brunton. Her father penned her unusual name, which was shortened in due time to “Willy.” Following her graduation from Springdale High School in 1939, Willy left the family farm for Scio, Oregon. There she met and later married Harold Hickam, and they had a son, Robert “Bob” Hickam, born in 1941. The marriage was a brief one, and by 1949 she had settled back in Spokane, where Willy supported herself and Bob working as a secretary and cashier. In 1955 she married Thomas Godfrey, and in 1961 they settled into the South Hill house that would become Willy’s home for the remainder of her life. Her professional life included long tenures with several Spokane brokerage houses, including Foster & Marshall and Dean Witter. By 1987, she had retired from active professional life, but she kept her hand in the working world as a legislative assistant in Olympia and occasionally helping out her former employers. Willy was active all her life, enjoying horseback riding, skiing, gardening, and shopping for antiques. In her long retirement she tended to her enviable gardens at her home (hostas, geraniums, and pink petunias were her favorites) and she ensured there was always plenty of food for the feathered friends that came to visit. All creatures great and small were welcome, and a few were lucky enough to find a home with her, including her Dachsund Mandy and a succession of cats of varying popularity. Willy was well-travelled, but no place was as special to her as the annual trip to Moclips, Washington each September. Her home includes many a testament to her love of the ocean, and she was happiest on a wide beach collecting sand dollars, or enjoying the serene sunsets at Priest Lake and Loon Lake. She also enjoyed visits to Cliff Park or hikes along High Drive, or walks to Cannon Hill Park, along the way noting the many Sycamores that she would someday invite to her “tree party.” She never lost her love of the outdoors, and even as advancing age limited her abilities, she could always find the energy for a walk in nearby natural areas and parks. This graceful, ever patient, and good-humored lady was preceded in death by her beloved son Bob, who passed away in 1987 and who surely was there to ease her final journey. Willy was preceded in death also by her parents and seven of her brothers and sisters. She is survived by her granddaughters Tami St. Paul (Charlie) and Cindy Hickam; her sisters Lois Stratton, Charlotte Hodges (Bill), Joanne Williams, and Midge Barsness (Bob); sister-in-law Laverna Brunton; four great-grandchildren (Jacob, Hunter, Sierra, Lee), one great-great grandson (Logan), as well as 17 nieces and nephews to whom she was the cherished “Aunt Willy.” Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely …but rather to skid in sideways, champagne in one hand, strawberries in the other, screaming “woo-hoo, what a ride!” A celebration of Willy’s life will be held on Saturday, January 17, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. at her home in Spokane. The family encourages donations in her memory to the Spokane Humane Society. Please visit Willy’s