In Memory of Bruce R. Godfrey

Bruce Godfrey, bowling-ball designer
By JOHN F. MORRISON
morrisj@phillynews.com 215-854-5573

When Bruce Godfrey's mother feared she wouldn't be able to bowl
anymore because of painful arthritic knuckles, her son came to 
her rescue.

Bruce, a much-sought-after expert on making custom bowling balls,
for pros and amateurs alike, designed a bowling ball for his 
mother, Alice "Ann" (nee Pearce) Godfrey, that gave her
many more years of enjoyment on the lanes.

"The ball fit perfectly and there was no more pain," she said. 
"He did that for a lot of older people who didn't think they
would ever be able to bowl again."

Bruce Ryan Godfrey, who had worked his magic in bowling pro shops
around Philadelphia ever since he fell in love with the trade in
the summer after high school and who was in demand by serious
bowlers for his expertise, died Tuesday of a massive heart attack.
He was 38 and lived in Rhawnhurst.

Anyone who thinks that making a custom bowling ball is only a
matter of measuring fingers and drilling holes, never met Bruce
Godfrey.

"He was a ball doctor," said longtime friend Mark Terl. "He would
take you out on the lane and watch the way you threw the ball.
He would know what ball would be best for you and show you how
to improve your game."

Bowlers came looking for Godfrey from all over the East Coast. 
For some years, he had his own pro shop in Boulevard Lanes
in the Northeast.  He worked at other pro shops, including at
Adams Lanes on Adams Avenue, and wherever he went, knowledgeable
bowlers followed.

"He was never that good at physics in school," said his mother,
"but a lot of physics went into customizing bowling balls.
People don't realize what is involved."

Godfrey was an outstanding bowler himself, but his interests
were more in developing bowling balls for others.

"He thought bowlers were the greatest people in the world," 
his mother said.  "A lot of famous bowlers came to his shops."

Terl said Godfrey got him interested in the game.  He worked
with Godfrey on customizing bowling balls but had to admit
"I didn't know one-millionth of what he knew" about the process. 
"It came so natural to him," Terl said.

"There was something about Bruce's personality that just drew
me in," he said.  "He was very magnetic.  He was an all-around
good guy with a heart of gold."

Godfrey and Terl used to play the guitar together and listen
to blues music.  "He liked old Chicago, Texas blues," said Terl,
who gave Godfrey his first guitar.  "He was a big fan of the
Allman Brothers.  We would sit around and play and drink beer."

Godfrey was born in Philadelphia and graduated from Northeast
Catholic High School in 1985.  That summer, he went to work for
the old Cutler's bowling-supplies company, and he was hooked.

"We couldn't get him to go to college," his mother said.

Totally self-taught, Godfrey worked in the pro shop in the 
factory before branching out and perfecting his techniques.

"He loved life," said another longtime friend, Michael "Big
Mike" Hamilton.  "He was so meticulous in his work.  It was
amazing to watch him.

"People came from all over to see him.  He knew everybody in the
field and everything about the sport."

Don Gallo, another longtime friend, said Godfrey was "very
outgoing, a super nice guy. He was a do-anything-for-a-friend
kind of guy."

Godfrey enjoyed cooking, with chili his specialty.  Gallo, who
also likes to cook, said, "We were always knocking chili recipes
off each other."

Gallo, who also plays guitar, said Godfrey wouldn't hesitate to
sing while his friends were playing.

"He didn't have much of a voice, but that didn't stop him from
jumping up and singing if we were playing an Allman Brothers
song," Gallo said.

Godfrey is also survived by his father, James.  He was predeceased
by two brothers, Brian and David.

I would like to add some things that the Daily News article 
did not mention about my cousin, Bruce.

Bruce had an extremely good sense of humor.  You can be sure
that if he was around, everyone around him was laughing and
smiling.  If he heard a joke, you could be sure to hear it 
the next time you saw him.  His jokes and antics would bring
tears to your eyes.  I would often return home with a sore 
face and sides after seeing him just from laughing so hard.

When it came to his sense of humor, you would have to say 
that Bruce took after our Uncle Harry, another extremely 
funny guy.  Uncle Harry often enjoys poking fun at others.  
He often joked with Bruce about his weight.  For instance, 
he had pet nicknames for Bruce.  When Bruce was young, he 
called him "Budda".  However, his most recent nickname for 
him was "Hugeness".  This nickname not only desribed Bruce's 
weight, but also his personality and heart.  Bruce did have 
a heart of gold and gave the warmest of hugs.  We actually 
talked him into doing stand-up at a local Comedy Club.  His 
humor was lost on the crowd, but not on us.  You see, his 
family and friends were the background for his comedy.  Even 
though we could relate to the stories and the humor involved
and found his jokes extremely funny, it apparently did not 
reach the audience.  So, a career in comedy was out for Bruce.  

He was also a very devoted son and brother.  He never married 
and lived with his parents his entire life.  He turned down 
many job offers far from home because he felt that his parents, 
both in poor health, needed his support.  He loved his parents 
very much.   His mom mentioned that he would come upstairs 
every night to kiss her goodnight, and would always say, 
"I love, you, Mommy!"  She added that he would do this even if
they had argued earlier that evening.  

Bruce never quite got over the loss of his two older brothers. 
He would refer to himself and his brothers as "The Three 
Musketeers" and had added the phrase "All For One & One For All" 
to a framed picture of him and his brothers.

Bruce was also a very creative writer.  He enjoyed writing 
poetry and songs. He was in the copyright process for his 
poems and had hoped to have them published someday.  I have 
two of Bruce's poems published here on my website and will 
continue to add the rest as time permits.  You can find 
links to those poems below.  

Our large, close-knit family has been left with holes in our 
hearts but those holes are filled with many fond memories 
that will last a lifetime.  Memories that we will always 
treasure.  May he rest in peace....