- Date Of Death: August 31, 2016
- State: New Mexico
After a courageous 12 and a half year fight against sarcoma cancer, Doreen Godwin of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, New Mexico passed away on August 31, 2016. Despite the battle, Doreen continued to work and live life to its fullest these last 12 years. For the past 26 years, Doreen and her husband of 32 years, Mike Godwin have owned and operated Ernest Thompson Furniture.
Doreen was born February 16, 1954 in Pensacola, Florida. As the daughter of a Navy pilot, Doreen lived in a variety of locations – Florida, Hawaii, Rhode Island and ultimately landing in San Diego where she became a true California Girl working at places like SeaWorld and graduating from San Diego State. Starting her career in the late 70’s in the bond department at EF Hutton in San Francisco and later Los Angeles, she quickly established herself as a rising star within the financial industry. She eventually moved to New York City with EF Hutton where she was considered by many to be a trailblazer for women in the municipal bond business and on Wall Street. While in New York, Doreen and Mike married on Friday afternoon March 9, 1984, in the UN chapel followed by a rousing celebration at Sammy’s Jewish Romanian Restaurant in Manhattan. The next day Mike and Doreen left to enjoy their honeymoon at the Bitter End Yacht Club in the British Virgin Islands which would come to hold a special place in their lives and be the destination for many special trips throughout their marriage. Although living in Greenwich, Connecticut and commuting to Manhattan was a great adventure, Mike and Doreen both felt the draw to head west to be closer to family and enjoy a less stressful lifestyle. Retiring from Wall Street in 1991, Doreen joined Mike in Albuquerque to run Ernest Thompson Furniture. Doreen became the consummate marketer, sales person and designer and loved working with her customers who in turn loved working with her. Her enthusiasm and never ending smile became Ernest Thompson’s greatest asset. From the onset of her diagnosis in 2004, she never let it get in the way of her commitment to her customers or her quality of work. She faced cancer head-on, with a fighting spirit, and a positive attitude, and a generous heart. Sarcoma cancer is a particularly aggressive cancer and after five years of survival, her doctors proclaimed her to be the “Sarcoma Survivor Poster Child”.
Doreen always said she was a simple girl, but she was a simple girl who loved well.
Monday, September 12th, 2016, 4:00pm, Albuquerque Museum
