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Marty and Marilyn Godfrey: High School Sweethearts Feeding the Community
Resident Feature by Holly Stupak
For high school sweethearts Marty and Marilyn Godfrey, food and family have always gone hand in hand. For almost 50 years, they’ve owned Mrs. Marty’s Deli, a staple in Marple, where customers come to enjoy their Jewish specialties like matzo ball soup, smoked fishes, brisket, homemade corned beef and fresh rye bread. The Godfreys’ three children grew up working in the restaurant and now their grandchildren are also learning about the business and what it means to have a strong work ethic. The restaurant is only closed three days each year, but even on those holidays, the Godfreys are still in charge of food, hosting their family and friends in their home in Broomall.
Marilyn and Marty met at Marple Newtown High School where Marilyn was a year behind Marty. It was in a summer school chemistry class that Marty and Marilyn met and got to know each other. Marty and his best friend wanted to take Marilyn and her friend out, but Marilyn wasn’t sure which of the two guys was her date. She ended up sitting next to Marty that night, and the rest is history.
Marty and his parents and sisters lived in West Philly until 1959 when his family moved to Broomall. He graduated from MNHS in 1962 and went on to study Liberal Arts at Temple University. After realizing he was more interested in the food industry, he changed course and took classes in food marketing at St. Joseph’s University. Growing up, Marty worked in his dad’s supermarket and learned a lot about the food industry.
Marilyn grew up in Wynnefield, PA, and her family moved to Broomall when she was in sixth grade. She would go on to graduate from MNHS in 1963. After her three children were born, she received her nursing degree from Delaware County Community College, becoming an RN. “I wanted to be a nurse from the age of eight,” Marilyn said. “It sounded glamorous to me and I loved children, especially infants.” For the past 40 years, Marilyn has worked as an RN. She worked at Jefferson Hospital since 1987, and is currently teaching prenatal classes there. She also worked in the neonatal unit at Delaware County Memorial Hospital since 2002 and, if not for COVID-19 and being in a high-risk category because of age, she would still be working.
Marty and Marilyn Godfrey on their wedding day
Photo from the collection of Marty and Marilyn Godfrey
After Marty and Marilyn got married, they lived in Philadelphia for a few years, then moved to Broomall and both got their real estate license. In the late 1960s, after selling real estate for a few years, Marty’s childhood friend talked him into opening a nursery school together. Despite knowing very little about running a school, he did it anyway. “At the time, I didn't even know you needed a license to open a school, but I knew there was a need in the Media area for schools that could serve a diverse population,” said Marty. So with Marilyn’s help with bookkeeping, they started Marson’s Nursery School in Media, and they eventually expanded to three locations that they ran successfully for many years. Marty did all this while simultaneously working with his father at his food market.
In 1976, they opened Marty’s Media Market. That was in the “pre-credit card” days, and their upper-crust customers charged their meat and veggies to “the house.” Eventually, as chain stores got bigger and offered more selections, Marty decided he needed to make changes to the market. He knocked down a wall and added a dining room, which became the popular spot to eat in downtown Media, known as Mrs. Marty’s Deli. In 1987, Marty got a great offer for a location in Lawrence Park Shopping Center, so he sold his building in Media moved the restaurant to Broomall and has been there ever since.
Marty and Marilyn at Mrs. Marty’s Deli in the late ’80s
Photo from the collection of Marty and Marilyn Godfrey
The Godfreys have three children: Betsy (Race), Jennifer (Godfrey-Taranto) and Jonathan. Their first child, Betsy graduated from MNHS in 1983. After earning a B.S. in Biology from Albright College, Betsy earned her Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy at Hahnemann (now Drexel) University. Following three years of clinical experience on the staff at Children's Rehabilitation Hospital, she attended Temple University Medical School. She is now a partner at Providence Pediatrics in Media. Like her parents, Betsy met her future husband Stuart in high school and they have three daughters: Taylor, Sally, and Abby. Taylor and her husband Tim, both engineers, met at Penncrest High School, making them the third generation of high school sweethearts. Sally graduated from Hunter College in New York, and Abby is a sophomore at Temple University.
Jennifer (Godfrey-Taranto) is a 1986 MNHS grad who went on to earn her B.F.A. from Syracuse University. She spent 20+ years working in the fashion industry, many of those years as a designer at Tommy Hilfiger, and now works in corporate event planning. Jennifer’s daughter Katie is a student at University of New Hampshire, where she plays Division I Lacrosse. Ally, Jennifer’s younger daughter and another lacrosse player, is a junior in high school. They live in Carmel, New York.
The Godfrey Family
Photo from the collection of Marty and Marilyn Godfrey
Jonathan is Marilyn and Marty’s youngest. After he graduated from MNHS in 1991, he earned a degree in Film from Temple University. After catching the acting bug, Jonathan spent some time in New York and eventually moved to Los Angeles, to pursue a career in acting. While living in LA, he discovered Radical Aliveness (an embodied healing practice) where he met his wife Yi-Li. The two continued on to become certified practitioners. Jonathan is now a faculty member at the Radical Aliveness Institute. He leads workshops throughout the US, and has a private practice in Philadelphia and NYC where he works with individuals, couples and groups. His wife Yi-Li has since joined Jonathan’s practice and is also a certified diversity facilitator and trainer. They live in Broomall and have a 5-yearold daughter, Ayla.
Marty and Marilyn Godfrey at Mrs. Marty’s Deli in Broomall
Photo by Sierra Clark Photography
So, how did the name “Mrs. Marty’s” come about? Marilyn said, “One day when I was walking in Lawrence Park shopping center, I ran into someone who couldn’t remember my name. So instead, they just called out “Hi, Mrs. Marty!” I told Marty about it, and we agreed it would make a great name for the restaurant!”
Marty grew up cooking with his grandmother, who spent a lot of time with him while his parents worked long hours in their grocery store. He incorporated into the deli’s menu some of his grandmother’s recipes. Customer favorites are the Reuben sandwiches, the gefilte fish and the brisket.
Over the past four decades, The Godfreys have been lucky to have loyal, hard-working staff. They’ve had the same manager, Marge Lehr, for 42 years; the same deli manager for 35 years; one of their waitresses for 30 years; and many other dedicated employees. Marty also loves having his grandkids help out in the kitchen at Mrs. Marty’s. “I love teaching them about the business,” said Marty. “Even my grandkids who live in New York always spend time helping in the restaurant when they’re in town.”
Like all restaurants, they’ve felt the impact of the pandemic. They can currently only operate at 25% capacity, which caused them to have to lay off some of their workers.
Mrs. Marty’s has been busy serving take-out, and with liquor licenses granted in Broomall, they’re also selling beer and alcoholic slushies, which have been popular. And regular customers continue to come in to pick up the popular rye bread.
Marty and Marilyn behind the counter at Mrs. Marty’s Deli, August 2020
Photo by Sierra Clark Photography
Giving back to the community has always been very important to Marty. He served as President of the Marple Business Association and as President of the Media Business Association. He also served as President of Temple Sholom. He’s also a member of the Broomall Rotary Club. Each year during the holidays, he participates in the Rotary’s program to donate meals and gift baskets for families in need. Marty also supplies the hot chocolate and cookies at the annual tree lighting ceremony in Veterans Park. And for the past 20 years, as part of the Junior Initiative in local high schools, Marty has been speaking to high school students about how to run a business.
As restaurant owners, Marty and Marilyn both love being with people and helping the community. “My favorite part of running a restaurant is socializing with my patrons and staff,” said Marty, “It’s like a party 24/7.” And Marilyn added, ”It makes me happy to see how much Marty loves it!”
Do you know a family that readers of our magazine might like to meet in an upcoming issue? Nominate them by email to Holly Stupak at HStupak@BestVersionMedia.com.
