Anna Margaret Moody

Anna Margaret McGee Moody passed away peacefully, from congestive heart failure, in her new home at the Madrona House, on Bainbridge Island, Washington, where she had been living since January 2023. She was 97 years old. She is survived by four of her children, Fred Moody (Anne), Frank Moody (Jane), Patrick Moody (Suzanne DeCuir), Mary Jean Benson (Grant); seven grandchildren, Erin Moody, Caitlin Lombardi (Tony), Jocelyn Tetreault (Zachary), Ryan O’Leary, Anna Moody, Ellen Moody, and Lin Moody; and three great-granddaughters, Maple Lombardi, Alma Lombardi, and Pearl Lombardi.

Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Anna was raised in Great Falls, Montana, and attended the University of Montana, in Missoula, from which she graduated in 1948 with a degree in Sociology. She was a proud member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, and was to maintain lifelong friendships with her three roommates. She met her future husband, Fred Moody, a U.S. Marines veteran and member of the Sigma Nu fraternity, in 1945, and they married in 1948.

As Anna would recount in her later years, the couple moved “eleven times in two years” throughout Montana and Idaho as they pursued Fred’s career opportunities. Those were stressful years: Anna and Fred had three children during that time, one of whom died at childbirth and another of whom suffered from significant health problems. They were to settle for good in Bellingham in 1956, where Fred went to work as a court reporter for the Whatcom County courts. Anna and Fred became active and prominent members of the Assumption Catholic Church community, and their five children would all attend Assumption School. When Fred came down with tuberculosis in 1961, Anna went to work as a juvenile probation officer in the Whatcom County Sheriff’s office. She would go on to enjoy a long and stellar career there, until her retirement in 1991. Renowned for her compassion, she is remembered fondly by many people who had been on her caseload as juveniles.

After retirement, Anna began a long second career doing home studies for families pursuing adoption, and would not give up work entirely until she was in her early 80s. From then on, she enjoyed a tremendously active social life, golfing, playing bridge, dining out, traveling, and frequenting local restaurants where she became known for her sense of humor, lively conversation, and love of Bombay Sapphire martinis. When she turned 90, she bought herself a brand-new, emerald green Volkswagen Beetle, the keys to which she would not relinquish until she was 96. Anna was exceptionally youthful until the last few months of her life, and many of her close friends were significantly younger than she was. Even in her 90s, her oldest son, 23 years younger, was often mistaken for her husband.

Anna was preceded in death by her two brothers, Richard and Francis McGee; by her husband, Fred; and by two of her children, Murphy and Richard Moody. A memorial service will be held at 1pm on Saturday, June 17, at Westford Funeral Home, 1301 Broadway, in Bellingham. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her honor to the Northwest Kidney Foundation.

Arrangements entrusted to Cook Family Funeral Home of Bainbridge Island, WA