Frankie Lee Godley

Frankie Lee Godley was born in Taberville, Missouri on December 12, 1936, along with his twin sister Fannie Lou, to Homer Godley and Fannie Godley (Dodds). They were the youngest of eight siblings: Rose (Bud Long), Clarence (Marjorie), Mary (Bob Breshears), Arvie (Bob Fenwick), Pat (Gene Schmidt), John (Pauline), and his beloved twin sister Fannie (Chick Fenwick).

Frankie Lee worked on his father’s farm, milking cows every day. At 18, in order to escape daily life on the farm, he signed up to join the Navy, stationed in Great Lakes, IL for basic training in 1955, until he deployed to Okinawa.

In 1958, after his honorable discharge from the Navy, he decided to join the Army in order to be closer to his brothers Clarence and John. He was stationed at Ft. Bragg, 503d Infantry, 82nd Airborne, where he packed parachutes and served as a Paratrooper until 1961. He completed over 20 jumps and lamented to anyone would listen about the damage it caused his knees until the very end of his life.

In 1962, he met the love of his life, Barbara Beydler in ElDorado Springs, Missouri. They married in 1963 and moved to Kansas City, then later Independence, where they remained until his passing. Frank and Barb had two daughters, Shannan (Tom Cunniffe, triplets Gavin, Simon, Scarlett) and Jennifer (Kurt Lewis, Olivia, Fyn, Jillian). Frank worked as a dispatcher for various truck lines throughout his career until his retirement in 2003.

Throughout his life, Frank was an avid outdoorsman. He loved spending time with his brothers and brothers-in-law fishing, hunting, mushroom hunting, and metal detecting for buried treasure.

Frank loved music, and artists like Dolly Parton, John Conley, Merle Haggard, and Frank Sinatra. He was a musician, though he might not call himself that. He had a natural talent for it and could pick out a song standing at the piano. Frank played the harmonica and kept one near his chair for an impromptu song now and then - usually Oh Shenandoah.

He was known for his quick wit and big heart and opened his home freely to anyone who wished to visit. Some of our fondest memories are loud ones- dad and uncles playing pitch, poker, or Yahtzee around the kitchen table until late into the night, and we take comfort knowing there are a lot of people waiting on dad to fill that last seat at the table now.

Frank loved his family and friends dearly - his brothers, sisters and in-laws, his many nieces and nephews, and he was especially proud of his sons-in-law, Kurt Lewis, and Tom Cunniffe, or Tommy Boy, as dad affectionately called him. He was extremely proud of all his grandchildren and his daughters, but his wife Barbara was the love of his life, and he would tell anyone who would listen that “She’s the best thing to ever happen to me.” Frank and Barb were married for over 61 years.

Frank passed on April 20, 2025, in his favorite chair, watching his favorite tv show, Gunsmoke. He will be dearly missed, but we know that his spirit will always be with us, watching over us with love and just a dose of ornery.