He was delivered by James J. Swendson, M.D. at 9:22 AM 31 March 1940 at Midway Hospital, St. Paul, Minnesota. His parents were living at the Minnesota State Tuberculosis Sanatorium at Ah-Gwah-Ching, Walker, Minnesota where his father was a staff physician, and his mother, a registered nurse, went to live in St. Paul prior to his delivery. He lived at Walker, Minnesota until he moved, aged 2, with his parents and older brother David to Bayfield, Wisconsin, in October 1942, where his father became Superintendent and Medical Director of Pureair Tuberculosis Sanatorium. He graduated from Lincoln High School, Bayfield, Wisconsin in 1957. He attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison for 3 years, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from Northland College, Ashland, Wisconsin in December 1963. He first taught high school English in Bayfield, Wisconsin for the spring of 1964 and then language arts at Urban Junior High School in Sheboygan, Wisconsin for 1964-5, 1965-6, and 1966-7. He began his career in the theater while at Northland College, and then continued with the Sheboygan Community Players. He received a graduate assistantship in the speech and drama department at the University of Georgia in Athens, paying $2200 per year and spent September 1967-December 1968 earning a degree of Master of Fine Arts in Theater. He moved to Greenville, South Carolina in 1969 for two years to be the Lighting/Technical Director for the Greenville Little Theater, then to Atlanta, Georgia for two years and then returned to spend the next 17 years in Greenville. He performed in over one hundred productions, and directed and been involved in numerous others. His first role was Reverend Hale in Arthur Miller’s Crucible. His other roles included "Thor” in Mornings at Seven at the Greenville, South Carolina Little Theatre, as "Big Daddy” in the Ashville, North Carolina New Arts Theatre production of Cat on A Hot Tin Roof. For nine seasons he worked almost exclusively at the Warehouse Theatre with roles in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; Streamers; That Championship Season; Happy Birthday, Wanda June; Gin Game; American Buffalo; and Ubu Roi. He directed productions of Hayfever; MacBeth; Marat/Sade and Luv. He directed Barefoot in the Park for the Easly, South Carolina Community Theater. After years of working at the theatre in Repertory companies, summer stock, outdoor dramas and dinner theatres, and realizing the total insecurity of acting as a career, he became employed as dispatch manager for Acme Delivery/Bells Cargo, Greenville and found theatre much more enjoyable as an avocation. About 1990 he became a dispatcher and then a solo over the road 18 wheel truck driver for Covenant Trucking, Chattanooga, Tennessee. In 1994 he and his friends Perry Smith and Jim Stevens bought a lake home at 521 Scenic Way, Sparta, Georgia 31087 where Michael planned to retire. On 17 June 1999 Michael suffered a stroke while driving through Houston, Texas, which left him paralyzed on his right side and with speech difficulty. Michael’s hobbies are reading and fishing. Michael underwent rehabilitation at Courage Residence in Minneapolis, Minnesota and since 1 March 2001 resided in his assisted living apartment Presbyterian Homes Central Towers #B408, 20 East Exchange Street, St. Paul, Minnesota 55101, 651-215-4688.
Michael Warren Moody, 71, died at home in St. Paul, Minnesota on August 4, 2012. He was born on March 31, 1940 in St. Paul and raised in Bayfield, Wisconsin, the son of Leonard Wood Moody and Ann Matkovich Moody. He graduated from Bayfield High School, and Northland College in Ashland with a B. A. in English. He first taught high school English in Bayfield for the spring of 1964 and then language arts at Urban Junior High School in Sheboygan for the next 3 years. He began his career in the theater while at Northland College, and then continued with the Sheboygan Community Players. He earned a Master of Fine Arts in Theater from the University of Georgia at Athens. He moved to Greenville, South Carolina for two years to be the Lighting/Technical Director for the Greenville Little Theater, then to Atlanta, Georgia for two years and then returned to spend the next 17 years in Greenville. He performed in over one hundred productions, and has directed and been involved in numerous others at the Greenville Little Theatre, at the Ashville, North Carolina New Arts Theatre, at the Warehouse Theatre in Greenville and the Easly, South Carolina Community Theatre. After years of working at the theatre in repertory companies, summer stock, outdoor dramas and dinner theatres, he became employed as dispatch manager for Acme Delivery/Bells Cargo, Greenville and found theatre much more enjoyable as an avocation. About 1990 he became an over the road truck driver for Covenant Trucking of Chattanooga. In 1999 Michael suffered a stroke. Michael underwent rehabilitation at Courage Center in Minneapolis and since March 1, 2001 had resided at his assisted living apartment in St. Paul.
Michael was preceded in death by his parents and brother Peter John Moody. Survivors are his brothers, David Leonard (Yvonne LaPointe) and Thomas Edwin Moody, and nephews John, Joel, Edward (Ned), Peter, Eric, Samuel and Nathaniel.
Cremation has taken place. As he wished, no services are planned. Memorials may be made to the organization of your choice or to the Bayfield Heritage Association, P. O. Box 137, Bayfield, Wisconsin 54814