Dwayne Paul Godier was born November 5th, 1947 and went to be with the Lord on Tuesday, February 6th, 2024. Dwayne was the eldest son of Irvin Earl Godier and Vera Gertrude Dixon, who have both preceded him in death. He is survived by his loving wife of almost 50 years, Myrna Marie, along with his two beloved daughters, Shelley Marie Hillyard and Lindsey Elizabeth Godier. Dwayne is also survived by his younger brother, David Godier, nephew, Adam Godier, son-in-law, David Hillyard and three grandsons, Luke, Matthew and Joshua Hillyard.
Dwayne was born in St. Louis, Missouri and spent his childhood in the town of Festus, Missouri. As a child, Dwayne enjoyed playing outdoors with his little brother and he played multiple sports growing up as well. At 6’8”, growing a head above the rest, he quickly found that basketball would be his favorite sport to play. Dwayne excelled in basketball, playing varsity in high school, and after graduating in 1966, he played for the United States Army as well. While in the Army, Dwayne was injured in his sixth week of basic training, so he was stationed stateside at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. There, he served in the army hospital for two years, as the personal aide to the Colonel, helping to rescue and maintain the crucial medical records of the injured soldiers returning from battle. He then transitioned into the active reserves for four additional years.
Serving his country proudly fulfilled Dwayne but his talent for sports ended up being his ticket to a future as a college student, receiving a basketball scholarship to Jefferson College in Missouri. While a student there, he continued the tradition began by his father, as a glass worker at the local factory. But, this would only be a stepping stone for Dwayne as he would then rise to the next level, receiving another full basketball scholarship, this time to Dallas Baptist College in Dallas, Texas. This opportunity proved to be a blessing, as this is where Dwayne made the most important decision he would ever make, and surrendered his life to Jesus. Unbeknownst to him, he would soon meet the love of his life, Myrna, and make the second most important decision of his life. It may have started as a normal day on campus perhaps, but then a beautiful young lady making copies in the library caught his eye and that was that. He courted her lovingly and the two love birds were married within a year.
The young couple graduated from college in 1976, with a whole new life ahead of them, Dwayne with a degree in business and Myrna, by his side, with a degree as a registered nurse. They first settled in the Duncanville area where he worked for Texas Power and Light (later becoming TXU) and Myrna worked as a nurse at Methodist Hospital. After a few years together, the young couple was blessed with their first daughter, Shelley Marie. Dwayne was smitten and the couple enjoyed their new life of parenthood. The family of three settled into a brand new house in Duncanville and then quickly welcomed Dwayne and Myrna’s second daughter, Lindsey Elizabeth who completed their family perfectly. Happily settling into life as a ‘girl Dad’, Dwayne supported his girls in all their endeavors, coaching them in basketball and making it a priority to never miss a game to cheer louder than any other parent, from the stands.
He and Myrna loved taking the girls on vacations to see family in Missouri every summer and tagging along with him on business trips, as well, so the family could use that time as mini-vacations together. There are so many fond memories together from the trips to Corpus Christi, Denver, and of course, the girls’ favorite, Orlando, Florida.
As the girls grew up, Myrna and Dwayne became very active founding members for Duncanville Bible Church. From helping lay tile in a new building to faithfully serving as an elder, Dwayne served for years as a pillar of his church community. Besides spending quality time with his family, Dwayne still enjoyed playing basketball, and spent time perfecting his golf game as well. His love for aviation, history, cars, and hunting made him quite the well-rounded man we all knew and loved. He could happily spend any amount of time sharing all of the facts and details of any of these topics with anyone willing to listen. Dwayne also became quite the craftsman, building a beautiful oak set of bookshelves for his wife that she treasures still today.
After more than thirty years, Dwayne wisely took early retirement from TXU and decided to pursue the field of private security. This allowed him the opportunity to help people, protect people, and have more time for his hobbies and growing family. A father of two girls, Dwayne was thrilled to hear the news that his first grandchild would be a boy! In fact, within four short years, he and Myrna were the proud “Mimi & Papa” of three little boys. Dwayne enjoyed playing toy cars with his grandsons; teaching them how to golf, and instilling in them a love for books, especially one of his own favorites, The Hardy Boys.
Dwayne will be remembered for being a gentle giant with a contagious sense of humor, a love for people, and devotion to God and his family. A faithful servant, a loving husband, a protective Daddy, and a wonderful Papa; Dwayne lived a life to be envied. While he will be greatly missed by so many, we all take comfort in the very real truth that he, a good and faithful servant, is now rejoicing in the presence of the Lord.
