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James Michael Godbout, 26, of Reston, Virginia died on May 30, 2018. Jamie Michael, as he was known to family and friends, was preceded in death by his mother Ann Marie Ritchey, and is survived by his brother Joseph R. Godbout, father Thomas Godbout and many aunts, uncles and cousins from both the Ritchey and Godbout sides of his family. Born October 14, 1991 at Sibley Hospital, Washington, DC, Jamie was raised in Northern Virginia. He attended Buzz Aldrin Elementary School in Reston, Virginia and Herndon Middle School and Herndon High School, Herndon, Virginia where he graduated in 2010. He took a variety classes at the Loudon Campus of Northern Virginia Community College in Sterling, Virginia after his graduation from Herndon High.

Jamie’s first job was at Ovations Restaurant located on the grounds of Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, Vienna, Virginia where he came to know the challenges of working with the public. At the time of his death he was working as a Sales Associate at the Reston Town Center Office Depot store near his home in the Vantage Hills Community, Reston, Virginia. Jamie was a dedicated walker. He walked to and from work, the grocery store, theaters and restaurants. He thought nothing of walking from his condominium in Reston to the Anita’s Restaurant in Herndon – a round trip of over 5 miles - just to enjoy their breakfast burritos! Brother Joseph often remarked that “Jamie could walk the tread off a pair of sneakers!”

Jamie was a dedicated fan of Washington Redskins football, Washington Nationals baseball and Capitals hockey. He eagerly looked forward to the start of each of the seasons and was supremely confident that “his” teams would always do well. He found great joy in a good-natured running text messaging debate with his uncle, Jim Ritchey of Atlanta, Georgia, on the merits of the Washington Nationals vs. the shortcomings of the Atlanta Braves. Jamie loved to fish and would usually catch more and bigger fish than the other people in the boat. Jamie was also a skilled board and video gamer. He competed with colleagues, friends and opponents in both the United States and Canada. He would often campaign his army of hand painted Warhammer 40,000 miniature soldiers in tabletop battles employing strategies and tactics learned from the series of books of the same name by Graham McNeill, Rob Sanders and others.

When not walking, working or gaming with his colleagues and friends, Jamie enjoyed gathering at the dinner table with family to enjoy a meal and debate the hot topics of the day. Be it politics, religion, sports teams or world events, Jamie would gleefully offer his opinions, oftentimes phrased in a way that was sure to elicit a response from others. Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners were his favorite meals.

Jamie Michael will be remembered by all as a good, kind and thoughtful man and as someone who brought amusement and joy to everyone he encountered. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jamie’s name to St Jude Children's Research Hospital (www.stjude.org).

Arrangements have been entrusted to Baker-Post Funeral Home and Cremation Center of Manassas, Virginia.

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