Jay, Santa Rosa mourn loss of Wayne Godwin

Residents of the Jay area and Santa Rosa County mourn over the loss of Jay native Terrell Wayne Godwin, who died Tuesday afternoon at the age of 87, following a brief illness.

Godwin served as District 3 County Commissioner when he was elected in 1968 and served three terms, until 1980. He was a cotton, soybean and peanut farmer throughout his life, and as a teenager operated the first cotton picker in Santa Rosa County in 1951.

Jay resident Frank Rowell, who served as county commissioner with Godwin from 1977 to 1980 remained close friends and neighbors afterwards. Rowell said Godwin would pl...