Mark Adams Godbold, Sr., was the beloved and faithful husband of Cindy, his wife of 50 years, and was the proud father of two and grandfather of eleven. He loved his family, his greatest gift, and he loved the Giver of every good and perfect gift. His love for the Lord and His Church was admirable, and he was an unwavering churchman in the greatest sense.

Mark was born on August 8, 1955, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Having been cared for by the staff of the Methodist Children's Home in New Orleans, during his first few months of life, he was then adopted by Glen and Martha Jean Godbold with the loving assistance of their pastor. Having brought him into their family, his parents welcomed him into their home in Marks, Mississippi. Mark always felt the love of his parents and sensed that he was special because of his adoption, and his parents always wanted him to know that they had chosen him personally to be their son. At the age of nine, Mark and his family moved to Grenada, Mississippi, where they lived until the Summer before his senior year in high school. He graduated from Clinton High School in 1973; Hinds Junior College in 1975; and Mississippi College in 1979.

After college, Mark went to work for Patriotic American Youth (led by Mrs. Sara McCorkle). He enjoyed traveling the South, visiting numerous chapters, and helping create new ones. He later worked with several political campaigns in Mississippi, and in 1981, he began a 32-year career with Pennsylvania Life in Jackson, Mississippi.

Mark was a long-time member of Riverside Independent Methodist Church. Over the years, he was very active in prayer groups and Sunday School groups, serving in various capacities of leadership within their congregation and their association of churches (AIM). He invested his time, energy, and other resources in numerous avenues of ministry. For over a decade, he shared the love of Jesus by opening his home to countless youth on Saturday nights for weekly hamburger feasts. His love for the Lord compelled him to share the Lord's love with others, and having been adopted into the Godbold family helped him to personally appreciate that the Father had adopted him as His own and filled him by the Spirit of Adoption with a desire to share generously and hospitably with others.

He is survived by his wife, Cynthia (Cindy) Mays Godbold. Together they raised their daughter, Carrie Rowden (Tom) of Clinton, Mississippi, and their son, Mark Adams Godbold, Jr. (Lindsey) of Powder Springs, Georgia. Their grandchildren are Imogene Godbold, Aidan Godbold, Emery Godbold, Ransom Godbold, Elizabeth Rowden, Topher Godbold, Peregrin ("Pippin") Godbold, Annabelle Rowden, Daisy Godbold, Sue Ellen Godbold, and Juniper Godbold.

His sister, Michelle Gawarecki (Steve), lives in Clinton, Mississippi. He also has one surviving aunt, Dona Adams of Benton, Mississippi, and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.

He was preceded in death by both his mother, Martha Jean Godbold, and his father, Glendon Harold Godbold.

Mark left his earthly body on April 6, 2025, and is present with the Lord, awaiting the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.

There will be an opportunity for visitation on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. and Thursday, April 10, 2025, beginning at 9:30 a.m., after which will begin the funeral service at 11:00 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Faith Methodist Church (Marietta, Georgia— Pastor Adam Godbold), Mississippi Right to Life, and/or Wesley Biblical Seminary.