Taught in Charlotte, Gastonia, Asheville and Salisbury
BELMONT — Mercy Sister Mary Julia Godwin died Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, in Marian Center, Sacred Heart Convent, Belmont. She was 92 and had been a Sister of Mercy for 72 years.
Sister Julia was born in Benson, N.C., the daughter of Enoch Godwin Sr. and Florence Inez Smith. The fifth of 15 children – nine girls and six boys – she was a descendent of the Godwin and Monk families who embraced Catholicism in Newton Grove in 1871. Julia attended Holy Redeemer School in Newton Grove and Meadow High School in Benson. She then earned a baccalaureate degree in social studies from Belmont Abbey College.
Sister Julia entered the Sisters of Mercy in 1949 and chose as her ring motto “Jesus Through Mary.” She studied nursing at Mercy Hospital for two years and then moved on to education. She taught at Sacred Heart Grade School, Salisbury; St. Gabriel’s and St. Patrick’s, Charlotte; St. Michael School, Gastonia; St. Eugene, Asheville; St. Agnes, Greenport, Long Island, N.Y,; and Holy Angels, Belmont.
In addition, Sister Julia spent several years at Nazareth Orphanage in Raleigh. Her ministries at Holy Angels and in the orphanage meant the most to her. She maintained her friendships with the residents of the orphanage to this day.
A people’s person, Sister Julia never met a stranger. She loved community service, visiting the sick and working with the poor. And she loved to travel. Her favorite place to relax was in the mountains at Lake Lure. In retirement she wrote the history of Nazareth Orphanage and the genealogy of her family. She was known as a quiet person who prayed quietly and worked with others quietly. Mostly she was known for her friendships and service to others.
Sister Julia is survived by the Sisters of Mercy; her brothers, Anthony and George Godwin of Benson; and her sisters, Anna Dupree of Raleigh, Agnes Keating of Holden Beach, and Frances Fisher of Southport.
Interment will be at Belmont Abbey Cemetery. All services are private because of the pandemic. Memorials may be sent to the Sisters of Mercy, Sacred Heart Convent, Belmont, North Carolina 28012.
McLean Funeral Home in Belmont is in charge of the arrangements.
— Catholic News Herald