Myrna Lea Pruett-Goddard

Myrna Lea Pruett Goddard was born in a farmhouse in Charleston, WV on September 30, 1935. She was the only child born to Joann Sauers Pruett and Garnett Pruett. Three weeks after Myrna was born, her birth mother passed away. This life moment became a core ingredient that enabled her to become an overcomer throughout the rest of her life. Her dad’s business partner and brother, Denver (and wife, Lelia) assumed the responsibility of raising baby Myrna during her formative years. The love she experienced while growing up on the Pruett Dairy Farm was pivotal and profound. 

Myrna was known for her unshakeable faith and unfaltering commitment to God, her steadfast love for her family, her unparalleled resilience, and her ability to embrace JOY in the face of life’s disappointments. The trials of life, she often said, “can never take away from the beauty of who Jesus is.” To everyone who knew her, her life was a brightly shining beacon illuminating the path to God and a North Star pointing the way to Christlikeness.

Myrna was known for hospitality. She possessed a culinary magic that enabled her to transform the simplest ingredients into a feast. Her table was her pulpit. From her kitchen she served unconditional love, unfaltering encouragement, and unerring wisdom to her family and friends. Her belief in the Providence of God led her to live life simply and sacrificially. She would often say, “you can’t outgive God.” She believed it. She lived it. Her life was a testament to the biblical values of kindness, joy, generosity, grace, and a forgiving heart. Her life will be remembered not for her words only; rather she will be remembered for her deeds of love and mercy.

While the roots of her life are planted deeply in the Kanawha Valley, her life went beyond the borders of West Virginia. In 1966, Myrna and her husband embarked on a lifetime of Church work, faithfully serving congregations in Colorado, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Michigan. In 1975, she and her husband followed the call of God to missionary work in Barbados, St. Vincent, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana, South America. Myrna would often say, “I don’t regret a mile I’ve traveled for the Lord; I don’t regret a time I’ve trusted in His Word.”

Myrna leaves behind many who mourn her passing: her husband of 68 years, Charles Goddard, her beloved children, Lisa Goddard Luhn (Frank) and Chuck Goddard (Janet) Six grandchildren, three grandsons-in-law, four great grandchildren, and one great, great grandchild. She was preceded in death by her parents, Garnett and Jo Ann Pruett, stepmother Maude Pruett, and Cousin Thelma Pruett Spencer whom she loved as a sister. The family would also like to acknowledge the children of Thelma (Diane, Terry, Cindy, Alma Lou, Bill, Janey, Joy) whom Myrna loved as her own.  

Her legacy is not limited to her children. Her Christ like influence lives on in every life she touched, every person she fed, and every heart she pointed to Jesus. From the sidewalks of New York City to the misty streets of Seattle, from the humid jungle of Guyana, South America to the sandy beaches of the Caribbean Islands. Her life will continue to speak through those whose lives were forgiven and redeemed by the life-changing Gospel Message Myrna faithfully lived and proclaimed. This is her true legacy.  

Myrna was born in the flesh on September 30, 1935. Her Myrna’s death is recorded as December 09, 2023. To borrow from a saint from another era, while her obituary says that Myrna is dead---don’t you believe a word of it. Myrna is more alive now than she has ever been.    

A celebration service honoring Myrna Goddard’s life will be held at a later date. 

In remembrance of Myrna the family requests in lieu of flowers, that Bibles be donated in her memory through The Gideons International @ www.gideons.org/donate