- Date Of Birth: February 16, 1931
- Date Of Death: June 04, 2024
- State: Virginia
Ellen Brooks Gibbs Godwin, known to her family and closest friends as Nana, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on June 4, 2024. She was born in Portsmouth, Virginia on February 16, 1931. Ellen attended Randolph Macon Women’s College and graduated with a BA in English. She lived many years of her married life on Riverview Drive in Suffolk, VA and in Kill Devil Hills, NC, and then she and Jimmie retired to Longpoint Farm on the Nansemond River. They spent every summer in Blowing Rock, NC and every March in Islamorada, FL.Ellen is survived by her husband of almost 72 years, James C. Godwin, and her five daughters, seven grandchildren, five great grandchildren, her sister-in-law, her brother-in-law and countless nieces, nephews and cousins who have been blessed by Nana’s unconditional love, her wit and adventurous spirit. Ellen was preceded in death by her sister, Ruth Parker Gibbs Jones.Ellen was an active and devoted member of The Garden Club of Virginia and was the oldest living member before her passing. She joined the Nansemond River Garden Club in 1958. Her accomplishments included the restoration of Virginia’s oldest gardens, such as Bacon’s Castle. She opened an Ecology Camp for children on the family farm in 1983. The Ellen G. Godwin Ecology Camp celebrated 40 years in 2023. Ellen was very proud and honored to be the president of The Garden Club of Virginia from 1986-1988. At The GCV’s 69th Annual Meeting, she received the deLacy Gray Medal. The inscription reads “to Ellen Godwin, for inspired leadership in conservation , accomplished with humor, intelligence and vision.” Ellen also delighted in being a member of Women of the Moose in Islamorada, Florida.
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