Richard “Rick” George Godfrey was born and raised in Sequim. The son of George and Mildred Godfrey, his family has roots on the Olympic Peninsula dating back to 1888 when his great grandfather William Barber Ritchie arrived in Port Angeles from Scotland. Ritchie, a lawyer, was responsible for leading the City of Port Angeles to lease Ediz Hook.
Rick, the oldest of four brothers, attended local schools until his family moved to Shelton when he was 15. He graduated from Roosevelt High School in Seattle in 1954. Rick served in the U.S. Navy, and later graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor’s of science in business. He later married Nan Shirley, a teacher, and the couple have a daughter and two sons. They retired to Sequim in 1996.
Rick spent 22 years with the Honeywell Corporation managing factory operations. He then joined TRW (Thompson Ramo Wooldridge) Corporation and rose to become the group vice-president of occupant restraint operations for 12 years. He also has served the United States Department of Defense as a member of the Defense Manufacturing Board and Defense Science board.
Before Rick retired from TRW, he and his brother David created an independent consulting company MRI (Manufacturing Resources, Inc), which helped companies improve their earnings and profit margins. He served as its chairman, and David served as president until his death.
Rick and Nan’s son, Eric Godfrey, lives in Sequim and owns Three Crowns, Inc established in 2014. He’s a fifth generation business owner in the area.
Rick remains active in the Sequim pioneer group Over the Hill gang, and is affiliated with the Heart of Jesus Church. He’s an avid outdoorsman and enjoys fishing, hunting, boating, camping, and golfing. Rick is also proud that he was the youngest Eagle Scout to achieve this rank in the state of Washington in 1950 while a member of Sequim Troop 490.
“I am very grateful to be selected as a pioneer,” Rick said. “Our family has served this community for many years and this appointment as a pioneer is one of my most exciting events.”