‘He always had a smile on his face:’ Murder victim remembered by community

A man from Vibank is being remembered in Regina for his smile and his laugh.

Lawrence Robert Godfrey, also known as ‘Larry the mall cop’, is Regina’s fourth murder victim of this year. Officers responded to a home on St. John Street in the northeast part of the city on March 7. where they found Godfrey injured.

A 25-year-old man, Anthony Trey Seon of Regina, was charged with second-degree murder in the case not long after. He made his first court appearance on Tuesday.

Since Godfrey’s death, there has been an outpouring of support for his family as hundreds of people shared some of their fond memories of the mall cop who spent 15 years with the Northgate Mall security team.

Two of the most frequently said things about Godfrey were his caring nature and the fact that he was always smiling.

Chelby Tandardini worked in the mall for a number of years, she spoke highly of who ‘Larry’ was as a person.

“I could always hear Larry’s laugh, like carrying through the building. Everybody knew it was Larry laughing when he was laughing,” she said. “He always had a smile on his face. I don’t think I ever saw him not smiling.

“Everybody always smiled with him.”

A common theme when people would talk about him is how he would go above and beyond whenever he could, whether it be guiding staff to their vehicles at the end of the night or always greeting people with a friendly hello.

It’s safe to say that Godfrey left a mark on whoever’s life he crossed paths with, becoming a very recognizable face for anyone who would occasionally visit the mall over the years.

“Even if you didn’t work in the Northgate Mall and you had only been there a couple of times, you knew who Larry was,” Tantardini said.

A private service for Godfrey will be held Tuesday.