OBITUARY: FRANK GODDARD,  former Phonic FM board member

OBITUARY: FRANK GODDARD, former Phonic FM board member

Born: 10th February 1966 in Plumstead, London.

Parents: Doreen Goddard and Francis Goddard.

Frank Goddard was an Equity Partner and Head of Dispute Resolution and Head of Civil Litigation at WBW Solicitors. Frank had been with the firm since 1991, qualifying as a solicitor after attending Cardiff University and the College of Law in York. During his time at WBW Frank specialised in trusts, construction and planning litigation, spending an increasing amount of time acting as a mediator and sat on Devon and Somerset Law Society’s Mediation Committee. He was also the Secretary to Exeter Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Through WBW, Frank set up the registration of City of Exeter Licensees’ Association and was, for a while, on the board of our own Exeter Community Radio (PHONIC.FM).
Frank became a friend of mine in the 80s, when I moved back to Plymouth from Hampshire. Before settling upon his eventual career path he worked as a theatre porter at Derriford Hospital, and took a gleeful pleasure in regaling his friends with various tales of gruesome goings on. Amongst my fondest memories of that time: being young and irresponsible, one evening found several of us driving with possibly reckless haste down to the Cider Bar. Frank was ahead but missed the turning and, on realising his error, performed a handbrake turn – don’t try this at home – pressing a female passenger’s face hard against the window as the car lurched sideways, which made me laugh so hard I almost crashed…

Initially practising law in Plymouth and Newton Abbot after graduation, Frank moved to Exeter – which began my introduction to the city on occasional weekend stays, and swayed me heavily in favour of a permanent move when I had to decide on a new place to live. On one of those visits I met his future wife, Jo; “a keeper”, I believe, is the vernacular term.

On a professional level, Frank saved my business when the dreaded tax man tried to have me declared bankrupt at the Old Bailey. Frank travelled up with me, and found me another barrister when the first failed to get the taxman’s application thrown out. £1500 per hour was the rate; we won costs. The lawyers near Taunton gathered around to see who’d made them look incompetent – but it was just me, there to pay the bill.

Frank loved going to the rugby at the County Ground and cheering on Plymouth Albion once a year, but supported Exeter Chiefs for the rest of the season! He took me to games, sometimes with his children, amongst lots of other friends and WBW clients. These were ostensibly marketing exercises but Frank never made it feel like that. Being introduced to people by Frank felt like a tour through the great and good of Devon life. The moment I realised I loved Exeter was when I found that I was gutted that Plymouth had won a game by a single point. When the Chiefs moved to Sandy Park WBW had a box on the centreline and on particularly cold days Frank would invite his friends up to watch the game in the warm and dry… if we weren’t there already.

Earlier this year, Frank left WBW Solicitors in order to work from home where, sadly, he passed away on Wednesday, 28 November. His untimely death has left a big hole in my life as well as many others, and I don’t think anyone could fill it as well as he did.
He leaves a wife Jo Goddard (nee Burt) and children Eve Goddard and Kate Goddard, both 12, and Jack Goddard 9.
Edgar Stephen Coate (DJ Peachy)

A few words and reminiscences from other friends:-

“The Frank Revision Technique For School Exams: drinking (underage) in the Golden Hind the night before each exam and asking us to “test him”;

Frank being dragged out of the pub once to play guitar at a church youth club – sozzled, having to be sung directly into his ear to keep him in tune; Frank taking Derek and Clive tapes to a Christian retreat.

Frank’s remarkable prowess at murdering* people in total darkness on Salcombe weekends!”
– Nick Williams
(*=Murder in the Dark is a game best played in a vast house in the country with a large group of friends in the pitch black. Happy times... ED)<br.

“I remember a wicked sense of humour, and someone who – with a bit of work (!), charm, many friends and a desire to do better for himself – set out to achieve everything he did in life. His biggest complement to me a 17 year old who had recently passed her driving test was that I drove as well as a boy…this after I’d driven his mini into a ditch somewhere on the outskirts of Plymouth! Do they still make ‘Inches’ cider – if they do, I’ll have a pint in his honour. My thoughts are with his family.”
– Jo Atkey

“My dad’s clients can’t come to the funeral so can we have the wake at a prison?”

– Jack Goddard, aged 9.
(“Chip off the old block” – Mike Martin)

“One of Frank’s most impressive abilities was “inventing” things. For example a new drink – orange juice and champagne. He was genuinely gutted when I informed him that bucks fizz already existed…

Kate, Eve and Jack tell me they are going to miss his claims to fame, like being in the England Team that won the World Cup in 1966, painting Sunflowers and that he was the proud winner of an Olympic medal for the 100 meters.”
-Jo Goddard

Frank’s funeral will take place on Tuesday 18th December. Email peachy@phonic.fm for details.
No flowers please; the family requests memorial donations be made through Le Roy Funeral Directors for the Neonatal Unit at the RD & E (the unit that saved Kate and Eve’s lives).