David Godshalk

David “Dave” Robbins Godshalk, age 89, died in Hartsville, SC on April 7, 2025 after a lengthy battle with interstitial lung disease, just in time to convince Saint Peter to let him through the Pearly Gates for a heavenly 67th wedding anniversary celebration on April 9 with his beloved wife, Rolfe. Dave was born on June 17, 1935 in Oak Park, IL to Irene Robbins and Alva Josiah Godshalk. He is survived by children Merrell Foote (John) of Austin, TX; David Godshalk of Seneca, SC; June Newton (Andrew) of Seneca, SC; and Rolfe Olsen (Jim) of Columbia, SC. He is also survived by grandchildren Al Foote of Cincinnati, OH; Cecily Foote of Austin, TX; James Newton of Townville, SC; Thomas Newton of Atlanta, GA; Georgia Olsen of Asheville, NC; James and David Olsen of Columbia, SC; and many nieces and nephews. After graduating from Downers Grove High School near Chicago, Dave majored in forestry at Colorado State University. While working with the US Forest Service, he met the charming Rolfe Fort, a Texas Tech freshman and Girl Scout counselor at Camp Mary White in New Mexico. The young couple married soon after Dave joined the Army as an intelligence officer, beginning a lifelong adventure that led them to 14 different homes in seven states. Dave thought being a truck driver might be fun, but much to Rolfe’s relief he was hired as a sales representative for Sonoco Products Company in Ohio following his military service. Frequent promotions took the growing Godshalk family to California, Tennessee, and ultimately the company’s headquarters in Hartsville, SC, where Dave rose to the position of marketing manager for Sonoco’s paper division. After a temporary move to Indiana, Dave and Rolfe returned to Hartsville, where he retired in 2002 to enjoy grandkids, traveling, and small-town living. Dedicated to his community, Dave served as president of Hartsville’s Kiwanis Club; president of the town’s United Way; board member for the Still Hopes continuing care retirement community in Columbia and the Hartsville Civic Chorale; and governor-appointed member of the Hartsville Community Center Building Commission. His warm bass voice was a welcome addition to the choirs of St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, the Hartsville Chamber Ensemble, the Hartsville Civic Chorale, and Hartsville’s First Presbyterian Church. Dave loved fast cars and attending races at the Darlington 500 speedway. He worked through mid-life angst by racing a Hobie 16 at the Pee Dee Sailing Society, taking a race car driver course at Road Atlanta, and acquiring a Datsun 280-ZX, receiving several speeding tickets along the way. He also traveled the globe with his family and was so enchanted by the people and cultures he encountered on the Arabian Peninsula that he wrote a book about his monthlong journey to that unique part of the world. A Midwestern meat-and-potatoes man who grilled a mean steak, studied the art of smoking barbecue, and roasted the holiday turkeys, Dave’s culinary repertoire grew to include a number of specialties from China’s Szechuan province. His Grand Duke’s Chicken recipe became a family favorite that is now prepared in the kitchens of the Godshalk children and grandchildren. Despite his exotic palate, Dave remained steadfastly opposed to whole wheat bread and broccoli. In 2023, Dave moved to The Legacy of Hartsville, where he made many good friends and added bingo and jigsaw puzzles to his daily routine. Thanks to the chauffeuring services of numerous friends, he was also able to continue dining out with the T-Dog dinner club and playing small-stakes poker with his buddies. The family would like to thank the staff of The Legacy and Crescent Hospice for their loving care and kindness to Dave during his extended illness. A memorial service will be held on Monday, May 5, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church, with the Rev. Ashley Cheek officiating. The family will receive friends in the Fellowship Hall immediately following the service. In lieu of flowers, Dave requested that memorials be made to the Darlington County Humane Society in honor of his favorite rescued canines, Baby Bear and Sargeant Major Woof, or to the First Presbyterian Church Endowment Fund.

David Godshalk

June 17, 1935 - April 7, 2025