Josephine Godsey Jones, 92, Dedicated Perry County Educator, Passes Away

Josephine Godsey Jones, 92, of Hazard spent 33 years teaching in the Perry County School System before her death on Monday, March 30, 2026. Born January 20, 1934, to Drew Godsey and Norma Lovins Godsey, she was a lifelong Perry County resident whose classroom career ran long enough that she almost certainly taught the children of her own former students.

Jones began her life in the county where she would spend every decade of it, and her decades in Perry County classrooms left a mark that extended well past the school day. After retirement, she remained active in educational life through the Perry County Retired Teachers Association, staying connected to the profession and the colleagues she had worked alongside for more than three decades. She was also a longtime member of Petrey Memorial Baptist Church in Hazard, a congregation that grounded another dimension of her presence in the community.

She is survived by her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, a family rooted across multiple generations in Perry County.

Visitation was held April 3 at Engle-Bowling Funeral Home in Hazard, from noon until 2:00 p.m., followed immediately by a funeral service at 2:00 p.m. Interment followed at Engle Cemetery at Trace. Engle-Bowling Funeral Home handled all arrangements.

Thirty-three years in Perry County classrooms means Jones touched an enormous swath of Hazard and the surrounding communities, from students who graduated decades ago to younger families she taught more recently. If you were one of her students, or if you have a photograph or memory from her years with Perry County Schools, submit it to this newsroom. A follow-up tribute is planned to collect the voices of those whose education she shaped.