As reported by Cleveland 19 News, Mary Elizabeth Davison Godwin, a third-class survivor of the Titanic, is buried in Bedford Cemetery. Over a century ago, she and her husband, Thomas, boarded the Titanic to travel to Bedford, Ohio, where her parents lived in nearby Cleveland. Although they had tickets for another ship, Mary persuaded Thomas to switch to the Titanic’s maiden voyage.
Tragically, just four days into the journey, the ship struck an iceberg late on April 14, 1912. Mary was placed in lifeboat 16, but Thomas remained onboard and was lost in the disaster. Of the 2,240 passengers and crew, only 706 survived—just 174 from third class.
After arriving in New York on the rescue ship Carpathia, the 34-year-old widow made her way to Bedford and eventually remarried twice. She passed away from cancer in 1939 at age 61. Her gravestone in Bedford Cemetery reads simply: “Mary Godwin, 1878–1939, wife, at rest.”
Mary’s legacy endures in Bedford. Her family reportedly still possesses the skirt she wore that fateful night, and Sirna’s Cafe honors her memory with a photo and tribute on their wall—just a short walk from her final resting place.
