Born in East London, South Africa, July 15, 1938, to Mayer and Esther Traub, Godfrey Ralph Traub passed away June 6, 2022, just shy of his 84th birthday. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Brenda Traub. Godfrey lives on through his three children, Gina (Bill), Lawrence and Andrew (Talia), and his four grandchildren, Bradley, Amanda, Adina and Amber.

He will be remembered for his great intellect, deep honesty, hard work, love of tennis and his family, sense of humor and good deeds.

Godfrey graduated from high school at the age of 16, was accepted to Harvard University (but was unable to attend due to finances) and proceeded to graduate from college at the age of 18 and law school at the age of 21. He was the first person in South Africa to ever achieve a perfect score on the ethics exam. Godfrey then went on to become a very successful lawyer and was among the first to pay his employees based on their position, not their race. He put all three of his children through college and they all went on to obtain advanced degrees.  All four of his grandchildren graduated university or are attending college.

Godfrey married the love of his life, Brenda, in 1965.

In 1976, with his youngest son not yet 6 years old, Godfrey moved his family to Toronto, Canada, and gave up his career as a lawyer. He despised apartheid and wanted to protect his children from the inevitable fallout when it collapsed.

In Canada, Godfrey became involved in real estate development and management, where he won over many clients with his hard work and honest demeanor. Though he had to start over in a foreign country and could not take his savings out of South Africa, he persevered for the sake of his family. Even during the toughest of times, Godfrey would send money back to his family and even ex-employees to help them.

Godfrey moved his family once more, to Dallas, in 1983 — right when the real estate market collapsed. A few years after the move, he founded Protea Real Estate, a boutique real estate management company with many successful property rehabilitations under its belt.

Though he did not need to, Godfrey continued to work until the time of his death.

At a young age, Godfrey became involved in tennis, playing for his school and university. He continued to play until his mid-70s and was incredibly fit until he started taking anti-cancer medication. During his time on the court, he befriended many people and won many trophies — so many, in fact, that they took up too much space in the garage. Godfrey taught his children tennis and his successes continued through his granddaughter, Amber, who was a three-year high school varsity tennis player and two-time regionals participant.

When not working or on the tennis court, Godfrey would spend time with his family, who adored him. Coming to stay with Brenda and him was a special, annual treat for his grandchildren. Godfrey later chronicled his family history in one of the two books he wrote.

Godfrey was a great supporter of Israel and his community, donating funds, clothing and more to charities and the needy.

Godfrey will be remembered as a mensch and tsaddik and will be sorely missed.