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Vance Godbey is a landmark name in this corner of the
county.He is best known for Vance Godbey's, his longtime restaurant on
Jacksboro Highway in the city of Lakeside. Born on the North Side of
Fort Worth, Mr. Godbey moved to the area in 1947 and started Godbey's
Grocery. It was a neighborhood style market which sold meat, produce,
and sundries. If he didn't have it, you didn't need it! Many of the
neighborhood kids growing up in the area had worked there, as sackers or
stockers.
He started the business from scratch, living in
quarters in the back of his store for almost two years. His store still
stands today, located at the north end of Cheyenne Trail in Indian Oaks
across from the Lake Worth Elementary School.
He was very active in the community, being on the
first City Council as Councilmember for Lake Worth for 4 years. He had
to resign a new term because the City Charter required that
Councilmembers must reside within city limits.
He also played a role in fire fighting in the area.
Working with Gene Ritchman, the first Fire Chief, he was instrumental in
helping him establish the first fire department for the City. He was a
Lake Worth volunteer fireman from 1947 to 1959, alongside his friend,
Dub Ray of Ray's Grocery.
Originally, the fire department was located at
Godbeys Grocery. A fire alarm was mounted on top of his store, and if a
fire was sighted, everyone knew to call the Grocery. Vance would then
sound the siren. "We had a few house fires, but most of them were brush
fires", said Vance. "We bought the first fire truck from the City of
Fort Worth. It was a 1930's model - at least 20 years old. But it was a
start", he added.
When Buddies moved into town in 1953, Vance felt
(like other neighborhood groceries in the area) that the competition
would be overwhelming. Mr. Godbey had to choose between fighting an
uphill battle with this new "super" market, or going back to work for
Consolidated Vultee. He chose to close his grocery. But not all was
lost. Mr. Godbey opened up a BBQ stand in Buddies parking lot, which was
quite successful. It was a small but permanent building which worked out
well for both parties; Vance paid Buddies a monthly lease, and the
location proved well for the BBQ.
But when Buddies sold out to Winn-Dixie, they did not
want his BBQ Stand on the parking lot and cancelled his lease for
another term. Vance once again had to start from scratch, but this time
he had a little more capital. It was at this point, in 1955, that he
founded and started Vance Godbey's Restaurant from his house on
Jacksboro Highway. Like his grocery, he and his family had to live in
the back of the house until business "evened" out.
The third time was the charmer. The business grew
steadily over the years, and the customer base began to grow. They all
helped out in the restaurant. The average family could enjoy a good
down-home supper in a "semi country club atmosphere" with an outside
swimming pool and a stunning view of Lake Worth. A catering service was
added later. A setback occurred in 1962 when fire totaled the
restaurant. But it was rebuilt, bigger and better than ever. In 1998,
Vance retired, turning the family business over to his daughters Carol
and CK.
As the community continued to give to him, Vance
continued to give back to the community. He is known for feeding the
hungry and lonely during holidays, and honored for helping firefighters
near and far.
When the Lake Worth fire in the Precious Faith Church
claimed the lives of two firefighters, Vance reopened the restaurant on
Sundays to raise money to help the Collins and Dean families. Brian
Collins and Phillip Dean worked for the Fort Worth Fire Department, but
were performing as River Oaks volunteer firefighters when they were
killed. Garry Sanders, a volunteer firefighter from Sansom Park, also
died in the blaze. Vance also donated $46,400 from the meals to the
Firefighters 500 Fund. He also donated a grand piano to the newly
rebuilt Church. He also donated generously for the fallen NYC
firefighters in the 9/11 terrorist attack. In 1999, He received the
Congressional Certificate of Recognition from Rep. Kay Granger. Mr.
Godbey has also been a Mason for 55 years, 48 of those as a Shriner.
Our special thanks to Vance Godbey for his
contribution to this article.
Bibliography
Interview: Vance Godbey
Interview: Dub Ray
newspaper: Fort Worth Star Telegram 12-1-99
www.vancegodbeys.com |