John James Godinet

John Godinet of Myersville, MD left the bounds of this earth on Friday, May 7th, 2021, at the age of 64 to be with God, his parents, family and friends in heaven after a valiant six-year challenge with ALS.

John started life in the U.S. Territory of American Samoa on Dec. 11, 1956, and after high school and a year of college he left ‘The Rock’ by joining the U.S. Army. Three years of duty sent him to winter ski school in Alaska, survival training in the jungles of Panama, and finally to discharge at Fort Ord, California where he met his life partner, Peter Dare.

John started a professional career as an investment clerk at Merrill Lynch in Monterey, California. He and Peter then moved to Washington DC, where John continued in banking and eventually retired after 25 years at Citi Mortgage in Hagerstown, MD. John also enjoyed a brief stint as customer relations representative for South Mountain Creamery where he enjoyed watching the cows.

John was an active 30-year member of the Myersville Lions Club where he was voted Vice-President the first year he joined and was a Fire Police volunteer with the Myersville Volunteer Fire Company. He received the Melvin Jones Fellowship lifetime achievement award with the Lions Club, as well as “Volunteer of the Year” awards from the Town of Myersville for his community and fundraising activities.

Along the way, John taught aerobics and other fitness classes at Fitness First, Gold’s Gym and other clubs in the area. He discovered his greatest passion in long distance running including marathons and 50- and 100-mile races. He loved to take friends and his dogs for training runs in the Catoctin Mountains. John’s colorful outfits, cheery personality, passion for life and goofy singing encouraged many friends to begin running as a healthy and fun activity. His favorite advice to new runners: “Run your own race, have fun, enjoy the ride and remember that we all get the same medal at the finish line”.

John leaves behind his beloved dogs Ginger and Piglet, his spouse Peter, his cousin Matthew and wife Fay, special friends Jennifer Williams, Shaunte Tazwell, Beth Mcgee-Sutton, Effie Nomicos, Robert Rooy, Billy Clem, Regina Clark and many siblings, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews in both the States and at home in American Samoa, plus innumerable running friends.

Services will be arranged in the near future. Contributions in John’s memory can be sent to “ALS Society, DC/MD/VA Chapter, 30 W. Gude Drive, Suite 150, Rockville, MD 20850” and also visit ‘John Godinet’ on Facebook to see what he and his friends have been doing for the past 30 years.