HUNTINGTON -- The contrast is more than understandable.
Kathi Goddard admittedly is "speechless" by the response from faraway fans and friends of her son. Johnathan Goddard, 27, died last month from a single-vehicle accident near his Jacksonville, Fla., hometown. Goddard's passing shocked Marshall University's football family, who embraced both player and family during Johnathan's historic career.
That same family, sparked by a grass-roots Internet effort, again has rallied around the Goddards. Initially hoping to cover $5,000 of Goddard's funeral costs totaling $13,000 (Goddard's family was unaware he wasn't insured), Thundering Herd fans have raised $9,700 two weeks after a bereavement fund was established.
Kathi Goddard and husband Johnnie didn't ask for help, financial or otherwise, but have been overwhelmed by both.
"I try to think of the words but I can't describe the feeling," Kathi said. "There are not enough thanks yous in the world. People you don't know have stepped forward.
"I can't come up with the words."
Kathi Goddard's strength in the past two-plus weeks can't be understated. Days after Johnathan -- a self-described "mama's boy" -- died, Johnnie Goddard was diagnosed with kidney cancer. He'll have to miss work for the foreseeable future, and without spontaneous donations from Marshall fans, Kathi said their house would have been refinanced -- at best.
Still, she shies from talking finances, instead focusing on well-wishes from Tri-State residents who regularly tailgated with the Goddards during Johnathan's standout career. The playmaking defensive end earned first-team All American honors in 2004 and graduated to the National Football League.
"It's not just the money but the cards and letters we've received from Huntington," Kathi said. "I still can't sleep at night and sometimes I'll look at a photo someone sent of Johnathan tailgating with kids.
"It's beyond the financial part. It's a momma's bond and I don't know what we would have done."
Mark Campbell, who helped spearhead the fundraising effort along with brother Carlos, is determined to "finish" this outreach right, covering the family's entire funeral costs and possibly helping establish a scholarship in Goddard's name.
"At this point we fully intend to raise the full amount," Mark Campbell said.
It wasn't that long ago that Kathi was on the giving end of unsolicited gifts, offering a gift certificate to a top-shelf restaurant to Carlos, who was living in Indianapolis, where Goddard played for the Colts.
Mark and Carlos Campbell, along with countless Thundering Herd fans, were introduced to the Goddards via fan-based message boards. Separated about 700 miles from her son, Kathi sought out the Internet for updates on Johnathan's progress.
"I would sit at home, being a protective mom, and I would get on (www.herdnation.com) in August and find out what was going on," she said. "It was my lifeline to find out how he was doing during practice and during spring games."
Kathi and the Goddards were embraced firsthand by fans when Johnathan's relatives began traveling from northern Florida to Huntington for gamedays. That bond again will be shared this fall when Kathi and family make their way to Joan C. Edwards Stadium for Thundering Herd football.
"Absolutely, absolutely," Kathi said of tailgating this year on the corner of 20th Street and 3rd Ave. "Now it has a different meaning but I'll be there."
Donations to the Johnathan Goddard Bereavement Fund can be made via PayPal Internet accounts (http://www.paypal.com) to goddardbereavementfund@suddenlink.net or mailed to The Johnathan Goddard Bereavement Fund, c/o Chase Bank, 1000 5th Ave., Huntington, W.Va., 25701.
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