Robert (Bob) V. Moody

Robert (Bob) V. Moody, 99

Robert V. Moody, of Walpole, died Sunday May 30, 2021 at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Needham, MA after a short period of declining health.

Born March 13, 1922 in Orleans, IN, he was the son of Earl E. Moody and Blanche (Springer) Moody who both predeceased him.

He was preceeded in death by his wife of 56 years, Helen (Johnsen) Moody who died in 2003 and also by his brother Lowell E. Moody of Bloomington, IN who died in 2008.

He was employed as a Printer at the Boston Herald for 30 years and then at Bird Machine until he retired.

Bob was a very proud WWII veteran of the USAF, 375th Troop Carrier Group, 57th Squadron Intelligence,  5th Army Air Corps serving in the South Pacific with the rank of Sgt.

He was a long time member of the United Church of Christ in Walpole, serving as a deacon as well as other committees.

Volunteering was extremely important to Bob who was a volunteer for Red Cross blood drives, a member of the Medical Reserve Corps, a member of the Walpole Council on Aging, active at the Senior Center, and instrumental in restarting and building the Recycling Committee in Walpole.

He is survived by a daughter Sue Anttila (Eino) of Nashua, NH and Falmouth, MA, 2 sons, Robert E. Moody (Elizabeth) of Rockaway, NJ and David A. Moody of Franklin, MA, 6 grandchildren, Heather Bohl (David) of Chatham, NJ, Eric Anttila of Nashua, NH, Erin LaVoie (Dan) of Flemington, NJ, Robert J. Moody (Brooke) of Levittown, PA, Stephen Moody (Bethany) of Warwick, RI and Timothy Moody of Boston, MA , 5 great grandchildren, Brody, Madison, and Savannah Moody and Emily and Theo Bohl, and long time companion Ann Murphy of Walpole.

Visitation will be Thursday 4 pm to 8 pm at The Alexander F. Thomas & Sons Funeral Home, 45 Common St, Walpole, MA. Services will be on Friday at 10 am at The United Church , 30 Common St, Walpole.  Interment will be at Maple Grove Cemetry in Walpole.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Friends of the Council on Aging, Walpole.

This is an article that was in the Walpole Times written by Ora McGuire December 3, 2009

Everyone remembers special times playing games like war, go fish, Old Maid, and Monopoly with our children or grandchildren. Word games are also fun. There is one where you take the first letters of someone's name and for each letter indicate a descriptive word to describe the person. This is a good learning tool as well because it gets people to use the dictionary or thesaurus.
For example, take the name Tom. The letter T could stand for "talented," O for "organizer," and M for "motivator." Result: Tom is a talented organizer and motivator.
My friend, Bob Moody, is a senior whom many of us admire, respect, and love. For this profile of Bob, I thought using the letters of his name would be an interesting way to portray several of his wonderful traits.
B-Brave: Bob was only 20 years old when he joined the service during World War II. He served three years as a sergeant in the Army Air Corps with the 57th Troop Carrier Squadron. The squadron was affectionately called the Biscuit Bomber, and also known as the workhorse of the air.
The squadron's basic objective was a speedy delivery of goods to home fronts and action areas in the South Pacific from Australia to Japan. The cargo planes were designed to deliver mail, supplies, troops, food, machinery, and even wounded servicemen. Bob's friend, Frank Noyes (now deceased), used to tease him by saying, "You weren't in the Army, Bob. You were in the USO!"
O-Observant: Bob is known for his many contributions to veterans' activities. He is often called upon to serve as a representative of the armed forces for various veteran observances in Walpole. He has planned and participated in Memorial Day and Veterans Day com memorative services held on the Common, often delivering the opening and closing prayers. He has also read eulogies, reciting deceased servicemen's names along with tributes to our armed forces. With his loyalty to comrades and country, Bob is truly a "veteran's veteran."
B-Beacon: Every organization has a few stellar individuals who go above and beyond the call of duty to make the organization a success. As a member of the Council on Aging, Bob has always
been a shining light for his volunteer con tributions. For the past 10 years, he has been a medical driver, helping to drive seniors to their appointments. He feels grateful that he can be of service.
M-Motivator: Bob is a dedicated member of the United Church in Walpole, serving as a deacon and also serving on various committees. His ministry includes Bible discussion groups at MCI Cedar Junction in Walpole where he has helped prisoners interpret Biblical pas sages. This was often an opportunity for the inmates to discuss their personal feelings and confide in him. Bob also assist ed prisoners who had difficulty reading, and at one point, he helped deliver over 1,500 books to the prison.
O-Organizer: Robin Chapell, director of the Walpole Health Department, remembers the day about 15 years ago when Bob was the first official person off the newly-formed Recycling Committee. Back then recycled articles were collect ed outside the Town Hall. As the years passed, Bob supported Robin in expanding programs for curbside recycling pro grams. With Bob's help, drop-off locations increased for special collections like yard waste, electronics, Christmas trees, corrugated cardboard, fluorescent light bulbs, cell phones, and mercury thermometers and thermostats. (For more information on the recycling program, call 508-660-7321).
O-Original: Bob is an original! In addition to all the other hats he wears, Bob writes poetry. As part of his recycling advocacy, he has written poems for the recycling program. Robin printed one on a bright yellow adhesive label, which could be attached to a container. Bob's poem reads: "Walpole can make it a better day if we RECYCLE more than we throw away." He has also written poems for many events as well as remembering friends and family with his original and thoughtful poetry.
D-Dependable: On Friday Bingo day!- seniors get to be with their friends and enjoy one of their favorite pastimes. When players learn Bob is calling out the numbers, you'll hear comments like "Oh, good!" "Great!" "I can always understand you." "Make sure you call my numbers." Bob has been calling Bingo for about four years now. He explained that they couldn't get anyone and "somebody's got to do it, so, Ok, I'll do it. Besides I like to be with friends."
The Senior Men's Breakfasts sponsored by the Friends of the Recreation Department has also benefited from Bob's participation. Josh Cole, director, says, "Bob is great. He's always here, dependable and reliable to set up the room. And he makes the best coffee."
When the Red Cross has a blood drive, they depend on Bob to volunteer to help people register or to greet the donors. Bob says, "I've been a volunteer for about 22 years."
Y-Yardstick: Even though Bob has lived in Walpole for 59 years, he likes to say he's a Hoosier, tracing his roots to Bloomington, Indiana where he was born. As Bob says, "Hoosier born, Hoosier bred, Hoosier dead." He came to Massachusetts to go to college, soon met his wife, and together they raised two sons and a daughter. For 30 years he worked for the old Herald Traveler. When the newspaper downsized, he worked at Bird Machine until he retired. By any measurement, Bob is a tribute to his family, his work, and his community.
Barbara Coghlan, director of the COA, says, "Bob is generous with his time and attention to the needs of elders and events. His friendly demeanor, positive attitude, and humor guarantee the success of our programs. He always brings a smile and his wisdom to the Center."
As a brave, observant, beacon, motivator, and organizer, we salute you, Bob Moody. You are truly an original, dependable yardstick to measure up to.
Kahil Gibran, author of "The Prophet," once wrote, "You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you
give of yourself that you truly give." Thank you, Bob, for all that you give.

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