Mary Moody

She is survived by her sons Kevin (Sheila) and Mike (Karen); grandchildren Miles (Meredith) Pepping, Emma, Michael (Erin) and Cole. She was preceded in death by her husband of 65 years, Bill, son, Ken, her parents and six siblings.

Mary was known by many to be the model of what a Christian woman should be. A loving, supportive wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, aunt, niece, co-worker and friend. It would be difficult to find someone who did not regard Mary in the highest regard.

She was born on the family farm on May 23, 1930, in Gilchrist County, Florida, to King and Ollie (Osteen) Mikell. She was the youngest of seven children; Odell, Rose, Emma Lee, John, Earl, and Harold.

Growing up the youngest daughter of a farmer, share-cropper and butcher, the Mikell family lost their farm when their only mule fell in a sink hole. They couldn’t get their crops in that year and the bank took the farm. After that King moved the family around looking for work as a share-cropper. Before settling in Trenton, Florida, the family briefly lived in Stark, Florida. The last two remaining kids living at home, Harold and Mary, did not like Stark. On one occasion, Mary borrowed Harold’s bike without permission and wrecked it. Harold was furious but chose to focus his hatred on the city, rather than his little sister. The kids were vocal about their feelings and, along with an older daughter, Emma Lee, the parents relented and moved back to Trenton.

During World War II, all of America was rallying being the troops with scrap drives to fuel our efforts overseas. Once again, Mary’s compassion rose to the occasion and she scoured the small town looking for metal scraps. She came upon a man mowing his grass. She asked if he any metal she could give the troops. He told her, “If you can wait until I finish cutting my yard, I’ll give you this lawnmower.” She patiently waited and returned to the collection area with the lawnmower and a sense of pride.

Attending Trenton High School, Mary became a cheerleader and was on the basketball team. Mary loved to talk about basketball, but her friend, Doris, kept asking Mary about her brother Earl. Mary introduced them and Earl and Doris later married.

Following in her sister, Emma Lee’s footsteps, Mary decided to become a registered nurse. While attending nursing school, Mary was a member of the Gainesville church of Christ. One day after services, Mary noticed a young man with a boyish face playing with the kids at church. He was on the floor wrestling with them. She thought, “How immature this high school student is.” What she didn’t realize was they were the same age and he had already serviced in the Air Force during the Korean War on the island of Guam. He was also attending the University of Florida to attain a degree in Forestry. They fell in love and later eloped on Oct. 31, 1953. At the time, they did not realize it was Halloween. When they informed Mary’s parents of the news the following Sunday, Mary’s mother fainted in the church parking lot.

As a young married couple with one adopted son, Ken, Bill and Mary would attend the weekly Mikell family gathering in Trenton, Florida. At the time they drove a Chevrolet Corvare, a two-door compact car of the day. It was reported the men of the Mikell family would chide Bill about his tiny car. A lesser man would have folded but Bill would give it right back. Mary would quickly step in and cut off the conversation.

Mary supported her husband’s decision to start his own forestry consulting business. He boasted that he and his partners were going to make a bunch of money. The business did not go as planned. While Mary was 100 percent supportive of Bill’s efforts, Mary’s mother, Ollie, was not as enthusiastic about the venture because she wanted Mary to have a better life than the impoverished life the Mikells had experienced. To alleviate his mother-in-law’s concerns, Bill eventually went to her and said he was closing the business, was going to find a steady job and would never try a risky venture again. This made Ollie quite happy for her youngest daughter.

By the time Bill and Mary moved to Alabama in 1970, they had three boys and Mary had left her nursing career to be a full-time mom. They attended the Dalraida church of Christ and had been faithful members of the church until their deaths this year.

Although she loved her boys and was always ready to help with a school project or available to sew a costume or outfit for an upcoming play, Mary yearned for a hobby. She decided to become a real estate agent.

She secured her license and briefly worked with Montgomery Metro Realty before striking out on her own. She would buy and rent houses around Montgomery. She eventually owned 20 houses with renters coming and going. Mary instilled a strong work ethic in her children. The boys would spend their summers as Mary’s work crew cleaning up and prepping homes for sale and also cleaning up between renters. It was ironic that, before their final move to Pike Road, Ala. to live with their youngest son, Michael, Bill and Mary would rent a home owned by her middle son, Kevin.

If anyone knew Mary, they knew she loved animals. Whether they be birds, squirrels or neighborhood dogs and cats, Mary loved them all. The back yard was always a haven for birds and the Moody bird feeder diner was open 24/7. Occasionally, she had to use a water squirter to repel the cat from next door, whom she loved, so her birds did not end up as a meal for the cat. Every member of the family was called into service to make sure the bird feeder was kept full. That also applied to the hummingbird feeder during migration. When the next door neighbor found a baby squirrel in his front yard, he knew there was only one person who could help; Mary Moody. She raised it and released it. Until she passed, she made sure the birds were fed. That practice will continue in her memory.

Time went on but her love and support for her family never wavered. Always active at the church, no one could have been a better wife of a Deacon and later an Elder than Mary. Several verses in Proverbs 31 describe the life of Mary Moody. An excellent wife, who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life (verses 10-12). She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy (verse 20). Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceitful, beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised (verses 28-30).

Mary will be greatly missed by her family and friends but the knowledge that she has been reunited with her husband, many loved ones and her Lord and Savior brings a smile that will last longer than the tears that are shed today.