Joe Godefrin, Grand Life Master and one of Florida's most well-known players, was born 1947 an died 2012 of colon cancer  in Sarasota.

 Godefrin had most of his tournament success with Ed Schulte of Tampa FL. They won the Leventritt Silver Ribbon Pairs in 2004, and they played together in three second-place finishes in North American championships.

 Godefrin had more than 20,000 master points to his credit at the time of his death.

 Godefrin was born and raised in Sarasota, where he lived all his life. He worked for 30 years as a pari-mutuel clerk at the Sarasota Kennel Club, a dog and horse racing track. For a time, he was a minor celebrity outside the bridge world in Sarasota because of a television commercial he did for his employer.