Pamela L. Godwin

Pam is survived by her two sons, Chad Berry (Katy) and Adam Berry (Elizabeth); one granddaughter, Lyla Joyce Berry; her parents Bob and Joyce Broadwell; her brothers, Brett Broadwell (Sharon) and Rob Broadwell (Christina); nieces Lauren and Shelby Broadwell; nephew Jackson Broadwell; several dear aunts and uncles and a number of cousins as special, close and loved as brothers and sisters.

When Pam was just a little over 2 years old, she and her parents moved to Clearwater, Florida. Pam graduated from Clearwater High School and from the University of South Florida with a degree in education. She was active in extracurricular activities at the school and in the activities at Calvary Church. She participated in choirs from kindergarten through youth choir, including the bell choir known affectionately as the “ding-a-lings." As a young adult, she led and conducted children’s choirs at Calvary. Pam loved the Calvary Youth Group and made many lifelong friends there.

Pam’s proudest achievement by far was her pride and her joy: her two sons who developed into fine young men with her helping hand. Both are graduates of the University of Florida. Chad holds a position in the Human Resources department at McKinsey & Co. Adam is a journalist covering the Pittsburgh Pirates for MLB.com.

Pam loved her sons, her family, music, children, teaching and shopping -- especially for shoes, a category in which she qualified as “world class." She was engaging and genuinely interested in people, often asking them questions to which they had never considered the answers. Her energetic personality and enthusiasm lit up every room she entered, especially her classroom.

Pam’s career as an educator spanned 39 years, including time out to have her sons and get them to school age, and over a year out of the classroom while employed by the Florida Department of Education. She taught classes ranging from Pre-K to high school in subjects as diverse as business education, math, science and computer technology. She also worked two years as an instruction coach helping other teachers. Pam taught at Dunedin High School, Wilhelm's School, Skycrest Christian School, Chattanooga Christian School and Steinhatchee Elementary School. At the time of her death, she was a fifth-grade math and science teacher at Canopy Oaks Elementary School in Tallahassee.

In 2011, Pam was named Taylor County's “Teacher of the Year." This was all the more remarkable because she was a kindergarten teacher in a small school in Steinhatchee, itself a small community. The judges witnessed Pam’s classroom performance and an instruction video she made starring the students themselves. Their unanimous decision was that Pam was the winner over teachers from much larger, more fully-equipped schools.

Pam’s generous nature was demonstrated numerous times when she saw that, out of her own funds, needy students had food and clothing. This combined with her success in equipping kindergartners, some of whom arrived on the first day of school without so much as potty training, with the skills for a competent entry into first grade endeared Pam not only to the students but to their parents as well.

When her Dad complained about someone annoying him, her standard advice was, "Don't let them steal your joy!"