Roll of Honor
Incident
At approximately 7:20 p.m. Precinct One Constable Thomas P. Godfrey, Jr., accompanied by Deputy Constable Emmett Hales, was walking across the highway to serve an arrest warrant at Fincher's tourist camp. The officers were acting on a request from the Fort Worth Police Department. Constable Godfrey apparently did not see a vehicle driven by Clifford H. West, age 21. Constable Godfrey was knocked down by the vehicle, as Mr. West tried to avoid the collision. Mr. West stopped and took Constable Godfrey to the hospital in Waxahachie. Constable Godfrey died from his injuries about an hour later. No charges were filed against Mr. West.
Godfrey is buried with his wife, Mary Inez Godfrey, in un-marked graves in the Boren Cemetery, at Reagor Springs, Ellis County, Texas. Constable Godfrey's parents are also buried in the Boren Cemetery. He had been a lawman for 35 years, the last 10 as an elected constable.
Rest in peace knowing that your service and sacrifice will never be forgotten by your law enforcement brethren.
Detective Cpl/3 Steven Rizzo Delaware State Police (Retired) August 3rd, 2020
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- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Tributes
35 years. You could have gone home.
Constable Godfrey gave the Ellis County Constable's Office 35 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Ennis community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Constable Godfrey.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Constable Thomas Page Godfrey Jr. is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.
In TX, 657 of 2,422 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27.1% of this state's fallen. That is 27.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Thomas Page Godfrey Jr.'s cause is highlighted.
How Thomas Page Godfrey Jr. Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Thomas Page Godfrey Jr. is highlighted in Aug.
Others Who Wore This Badge
0 officers from Ellis County Constable's Office - Precinct 1 are honored on badge.nw.