Some people make the world special just by being in it. Elizabeth Moody was such a person. Her warm smile and genuine interest in each person she spoke with was heartwarming. Her caring attitude and gentle personality made her a special icon in the Yuma community. Her decades of service as a garden club member helped both Yuma Garden Club and Moody Garden Club flourish.
On July 25, 2023, Elizabeth passed away at the grand age of 105. Up to the end of her life, she was as alert and cheerful as always, making those around her feel special and wanted.
Born in Marshall, Missouri on May 21, 1918, her family relocated to Miami, Arizona, when she was a child. Her father was the science teacher at Miami High School and had a great influence on Elizabeth. She gained a love of nature and its beauty and an interest in learning about the outdoors from him.
Her interest in nature led her to attend American University, Washington, DC, to earn a Liberal Arts Degree. From there, she attended the University of Arizona and earned a B.S. degree in Botany and a minor in Entomology.
While at the U of A, Elizabeth met and married the love of her life, Robert J. Moody. In 1944, the couple traveled to Yuma, Arizona, where they spent their lives raising five children and serving the Yuma community. Bob was the U of A Extension Agent and spent his life helping youth learn more about agriculture and its benefits. Elizabeth became a science teacher who kindled a love of nature in all her students.
If that was not enough, for many years, the couple also had a farm they tended. Elizabeth strove to serve the Yuma community and joined many service organizations. She became an active member of the Yuma Garden Club in 1943 but stopped to teach science at the local high school. She rejoined the Yuma Garden Club in 1980 and continued as a member through 2023.
She also helped begin Moody Garden Makers, now called Moody Garden Club, which maintains the Robert J. Moody Demonstration Garden. The two-acre botanical garden was named in honor of her husband, who passed away in 2000. She was a member of Moody Garden Club from its inception in 2000 until 2023.
Elizabeth was knowledgeable about many subjects, including native plants and roses that grew well in Yuma. She was a creative floral designer, and many of her arrangements entered the Yuma Co. Flower Show and won top awards. She was well known for her love of miniature arrangements, which she artistically created. If there was a rose entered in the flower show that no one could identify, Elizabeth could be relied upon to know its name.
She had a quiet yet authoritative demeanor that made people around her listen attentively and appreciate all the information she shared. Whether it was the name of a rose, the type of native plant to grow in a yard, or the name of an unusual butterfly, Elizabeth was the person who could answer. Like many of her generation, she was multi-faceted and had a vast knowledge about so many subjects.
While in the garden club, Elisabeth held all officer positions within Yuma Garden Club and Moody Garden Club and also served as Western District Director. Yuma’s garden clubs were successful, in part, because of Elizabeth’s leadership skills.
Her love of roses led her to help design several rose gardens in Yuma, including the Alma Schott Memorial Rose Garden and the Sanguinettis Rose Garden.
To honor Elizabeth, a handicapped accessible rose garden, the Elizabeth Moody Rose Garden, is being constructed at the Robert J. Moody Demonstration Garden. Donations toward the construction of the garden are being accepted. Checks can be made to “Moody Garden Club” with “Rose Garden” on the memo line. The mailing address is Moody Garden Club, PO Box 25071, Yuma, AZ 85367-9998.
In life, there is always that special someone who shapes who you are and helps determine who you become. For many garden club members, Elizabeth was that special someone. She will be missed, but her memory lives on in the lovely rose gardens and the Robert J. Moody Demonstration Garden that she helped create.
By Karen Bowen. Karen is a member of the Yuma Orchid & African Violet Society and a master gardener.
