LaVay M. Godber, 81, Panama City, Fla., formerly of Letcher and Mitchell, died Tuesday, Dec.18, 2012 in Gulf Coast Medical Center, Panama City.
Memorial services will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 12 in the Bittner Funeral Chapel.  Burial will be in Servicemen’s Memorial Cemetery.
LaVay was born Dec. 8, 1931. on a farm near Ethan to Martin and Gladys (Swenson) Johnson. She grew up in Mitchell, graduating from Mitchell High School in 1949.
Following high school she moved to Ithaca, N.Y. where she was employed in insurance claims. She moved to Greeley, Colo. for years and then briefly lived in Davenport, Iowa. In 1963 she moved back to Mitchell.
She married Verlyn Godber in 1965. They lived on a farm west of Letcher for 20 years. Later she moved into Letcher and managed the Letcher Villas and sold Avon products for many years.
She moved to Meadowlawn Plaza in Mitchell in 2009 and in 2011 to Panama City.
She was a member of the Letcher Community Church and the DAV Auxiliary.
She is survived by her children, Debra (Alton) Finklea of Latta, S.C., Teresa (Robert) Woods of Orlando, Fla. and Joel (Linda) Godber of Panama City, Fla.; five grandchildren and several nephews and nieces.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Verlyn; brother, Donald Johnson; and a granddaughter, Leah Godber.
Memorials may be directed to the Letcher Community Church, PO Box 187, Letcher, SD 57359 in memory of LaVay Godber.