As Mark Godsey stood in his Wesley Chapel kitchen Monday afternoon, the weather turned rough. Outside, just steps from his front door, a large oak tree splintered nearly in half and crashed onto the home on Brisk Drive that Godsey and his wife, Terri, had shared for nearly two decades.
Deputies and fire rescue crews responded to the call about 4:20 p.m., forced their way into the home and found Godsey, 64, mortally wounded, according to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office. He died there.
The sudden loss has devastated Godsey’s loved ones — especially his wife, who is mourning the loss of her longtime partner while facing an uncertain future, said Tamara Kurfiss, Terri Godsey’s sister. The home is a total loss, and the family has not been able to retrieve any belongings, Kurfiss said.
“This is her life partner, and they were just making it with two incomes, and now she’s down to one,” Kurfiss said. “She’s really scared, and she’s never had any other loves.”
Mark and Terri had dated off and on since high school, married in the early 1990s and have a grown son. Mark Godsey most recently worked at a pro shop at the Meadows at Countrywood golf course in Plant City, Kurfiss said.
Property records show Godsey and his wife bought the single-story, 1,900-square-foot manufactured home in the 33000 block of Brisk Drive in 2008. The house was built in 2003.
Kurfiss, who said a neighbor reported that a storm blew through the area about the time the tree fell, launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for funeral and other expenses.
“Our family has always worked hard and lived paycheck to paycheck, but nothing could have prepared us for this sudden heartbreak,” the page says. “Now, we are facing the difficult task of saying goodbye and supporting the surviving spouse as she grieves and tries to find stability.”
The family has already been buoyed by acts of kindness. Kerfiss said a local tree company has offered to remove the tree free of charge.
The family also appreciates the difficult work that deputies and Pasco County Fire Rescue crews did to get into the home to try to save Godsey.
“Everybody just was so compassionate, showed empathy and did a fantastic job,” she said. “We’re very grateful to them.”
