Stonehaven man John Godsman has been described as “a true one-off” following his sudden death.
The family of the 67-year-old have paid tribute to their “selfless” and much-loved husband and father a week after he died in a workplace accident.
His wife Sheila and daughter Hilary said he was a “larger than life” character who was always helping someone.
“True to form” he had stepped in to help others when an accident involving a quad bike took place in the town on December 20.
He suffered serious injuries and died in hospital the next day.
“He knew so many people,” Sheila said. “We have received so much support from family and friends this past week. Everyone has been really caring.
“The kindness has been endless.”
‘Always stepping in to help’
His family have said the father-of-one was “always on the go” and would constantly put other people first.
“He was always helping others,” Hilary, 36, said. “He was always a phone call away for me or anyone else who needed him. We were very close.”
“He was Mr Fix-It in our house,” Sheila added.
This sentiment was shared by John’s friend and fellow Stonehaven & District Motor Club (SDMC) member, Andrew Ritchie, who shared a touching tribute online.
John had been a “cherished member” of the club since the mid-1970s and became a key part of the committee.
He wrote: “It is impossible to sum up John Godsman in a few short words. He was a friend to everyone, a gifted comic, a source of knowledge and experience, someone who knew how to get the best out of people. A true one-off.
“He never seemed to stop, always kept going – whether that was with the task in hand, his cycling, his 10K running or his voluntary work with the Portlethen community ambulance or the Stonehaven Open Air Pool.
“He was always stepping in to help.”
Tributes shared from far and wide for Stonehaven man John Godsman
John was born and raised in Stonehaven where he attended Dunottar School and Mackie Academy.
He started working for oilfield services company Schlumberger in 1980 which took him and his family all over the world for the next 33 years.
Between 1989 and 2002, the family lived in Norway, Libya, France, Russia, Indonesia and Australia.
His daughter, Hilary, said living in so many places together overseas made the family “a tight knit group”.
The Godsmans returned to Stonehaven in 2002 but John continued to travel abroad for work on rotation until he retired from the company after a final stint in Dubai.
Back in his hometown, John set up his own business – Kirktown Engineering – which involved consultancy work and allowed him to help even more people.
Since the news of his death was shared, many of John’s past colleagues from across the world have shared touching messages and memories with his family.
Always running or cycling
When he wasn’t hard at work or spending time with his family, John could be found running or cycling about town.
“He’s known as the man in Stonehaven who waves at everyone when he’s running or cycling around,” Hilary shared.
After he lost one of his school friends to cancer almost nine years ago, he started using his passion for running to fundraise for Friends of Anchor every year.
He also played an active role in his community, including driving the community ambulance in Portlethen or volunteering at Stonehaven Open Air Pool.
Community man
John continued his involvement with the SDMC after taking a “back seat” while living overseas.
From navigating behind the wheel to organising events, he was a key player in helping the club return to autocross events in the 1970s, facilitating work at the Durris Hill Climb track in the 190s, and, more recently, he got back into helping with the Grampian Forest Rally.
The SDMC added: “Everyone who has now been involved with the Grampian Forest Rally will know how much John has added to the success and pleasure in running the event.”
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