Judy Hill

Judy Pond Godfrey Hill

KAYSVILLE –Judy Pond Godfrey Hill passed away peacefully on January 10, 2017, in Kaysville, Utah.  She was 80 years old.

Judy was born on November 14th, 1936 in Logan, Utah, to H. Ray Pond and Mable Hendricks Pond.  The youngest of five children, she spent her childhood in Cove, Utah, playing on the banks of the Bear River and working on the family farm with her beloved father, H. Ray.

Judy graduated from North Cache High School and promptly enrolled at Utah State University where she pursued a degree in elementary education.  In 1959, she married her high school sweetheart, Theron Jay Godfrey, in the Logan Temple.  After both had completed degrees, Theron and Judy moved to Lynwood, California, where Theron completed graduate school at UCLA while Judy taught in the Compton Unified School District.

On a warm southern California day in the spring of 1962, they welcomed their first child, Sandra Lynn. In the fall of 1965, Theron and Judy relocated to Pleasant View, Utah where their second and last child, Lyndon Jay (L.J.) Godfrey, joined the family.

Soon, Theron and Judy jumped at the opportunity to return home to Cache Valley where Theron served as the administrator of the Logan Regional Hospital and Judy established one of the most popular pre-schools in the valley.   Judy taught generations of Cache Valley toddlers and enjoyed watching their progress and staying in touch with their entire families.  A trip to the supermarket, an Aggie game, or any social event took twice as long because Judy insisted on catching up with every former student she met. A lifelong educator, her heart was always in the classroom.

After becoming empty nesters, Theron and Judy moved to Layton, Utah, and soon Judy was back in the classroom teaching at West Point Elementary.  After Theron's sudden death in 1989, it was teaching and the love of her students that helped sustain her through those difficult years.

In 1991, Judy met and married Joseph Flint Hill, and immediately her family circle grew to include every member of the Hill family.  This new combined family became Judy’s entire focus, and she made every effort to make everyone feel a special part of this new family unit.  Joe and Judy enjoyed twenty-six happy years of traveling, making new friends, Jazz games, cutting horse events and family gatherings.  In Judy’s later years, Joe was a committed and loving caregiver and for this, our family is eternally grateful.

Judy was a gifted and award-winning writer.  She documented a lifetime of meaningful events with beautiful poetry and short stories.   She was a lifelong member of the LDS Church and served in numerous callings, including ward and stake Relief Society president, as well as working in the Joseph Smith building and the Bountiful Temple.

Judy loved and appreciated the great number of close friends she gathered over the years in Cache Valley and Kaysville and wished to pass along her sincere gratitude to all those wonderful people who filled her life with purpose and meaning and who were always there at her side in times of need.

Judy was preceded in death by her first husband, Theron Godfrey and her daughter, Sandy Godfrey Wallentine (Scott).   She is survived by her husband Joseph Flint Hill of Kaysville, Utah, her son L.J.  (Lisa) Godfrey of Smithfield, Utah, her stepson Brent (Dixie) Hill of Kaysville, Utah, her sister Janet (Lowell) Howe of Billings, Montana, ten grandchildren and fourteen great grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, January 14, 2017, at 11:00 a.m. at the Kaysville Utah Stake Center, 615 Flint Street, Kaysville.  Friends may visit Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Lindquist’s Kaysville Mortuary, 400 North Main and Saturday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the church prior to the service.

Interment, Clarkston City Cemetery at 2:30 p.m.

The family would like to thank the committed caregivers at Fairfield Village, as well as Angie and the wonderful staff at Encompass Hospice for their care and support in Judy's last days.