01/11/2025
Dr. Godfrey Porter Oakley, Jr., a dedicated public health advocate and esteemed Director of the Center for Spina Bifida Prevention and Research at Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, passed away peacefully on Thursday, October 23, 2025, at the age of 85.
He worked tirelessly for folic acid fortification across the world - including with Professor Fiona Stanley AC and Professor Carol Bower AC. He also played an important role in the World Health Organization's 2023 resolution to accelerate food fortification with micronutrients.
RIP Godfrey.
With Great Sadness, We Remember Godfrey Oakley.
It is with profound sadness that we share that our beloved member Dr. Godfrey Oakley passed away at 11:15 p.m. last evening. His passing is a deep loss not only to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta (UUCA), but to the world that has benefited so greatly from his scientific and humanitarian work.
Godfrey was a gracious, visionary, and deeply kind presence in our community. Alongside his wife, Mary Ann Oakley, he helped lead and generously support UUCA’s Building a New Way capital campaign—making possible the beautiful campus we call home today.
Beyond our walls, Godfrey’s life’s work changed the world. As a distinguished epidemiologist and public health scholar, he played a pivotal role in the movement to fortify cereal grains with folic acid—a global public-health reform that prevents neural-tube defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly. Because of his leadership, tens of thousands of children each year are born healthy who otherwise might not have been.
Godfrey embodied the values we hold dear: compassion, justice, service, and the courage to make change. He didn’t just do good work—he built systems of prevention that continue to save lives around the world.
We invite you to take a few moments to watch this moving video of Godfrey from our Building a New Way campaign. Though originally created as part of a stewardship effort, it now stands as a heartfelt testament to Godfrey’s vision for our community—a reflection of his faith, generosity, and hope for the future. In it, you’ll see glimpses of the dreams he and Mary Ann shared for UUCA: accessibility for all, visibility in the wider world, and a campus that welcomes everyone with dignity and care. A vision that became reality when we opened the campus two years later in August of 2022.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6SROVVfMKk
(Please note: this video may be emotionally stirring for those grieving this news.)
In the days ahead, we will share information about memorial services and how we may collectively honor Godfrey’s life. For now, we hold Mary Ann, the Oakley family, and all who loved him in our hearts.
May we find comfort in the spacious and hopeful vision Godfrey held—one in which science, service, faith, and community converge. His light continues to guide us.
In gratitude for his life and legacy,
Bryce Thomason
Executive Director
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta
