Becky Moody

 

Becky was born in Murray, Utah and raised in Layton. She attended Lincoln Elementary, North Layton Jr. High and Northridge High School. She grew up in a family with 7 kids: 1 older sister and 5 younger brothers.  In her opinion this worked well because the boys couldn't really pick on or tease her and her sister, even though they tried. She says her parents were stalwart examples of service and even now, her dad spends almost every weekend helping someone work on something. She gave them the very high compliment by saying they are very unselfish people.

 

In high school Becky had a lot of energy, which kept her very busy and involved. For her sophomore and junior years she was the class president. During her senior year she was asked to be the seminary president, which would prevent her from serving in student government at the school level. So instead, she served as a state officer in the Utah Association of Student Councils. In this role Becky provided state-wide student officer training, and represented Utah at the National Association of Student Councils.

She also performed in school musicals. For her junior year she was a chorus member in the musical Oklahoma. She says she was so energetic the director kept telling her to hold back a little. He told her she was like beer that would explode over the top with all her enthusiasm. She believes all that energy has served her well as a mother, although now she wishes she has as much energy as her kids.

After high school Becky went to BYU-Provo with a major in nursing. Half way through she took a break to go on a mission. In the spring of 2001 she was called to the Washington DC North mission. Her mother was so relieved because she felt like Becky would be safer serving in the United States.

Becky arrived in Washington DC in July 2001. On September 11, 2001 she, her companion, and a group of missionaries had received special permission from their mission president to spend the day at the Smithsonian Institute museums near the Nation's capital just off of the Mall. While traveling on the Metro someone had mentioned that they thought an airplane had flown into the Pentagon on the south side of the Potomac.

When their group emerged out of the Metro, they were so excited to be there, having a day off for fun. Sirens were blaring and Becky's companion turned to her and said, "Welcome to the City!" The group, with jubilant smiles, asked a man dressed in business attire to take their picture. The man agreed and then after taking the photo very somberly asked if they realized what was going on. He explained that an airplane had crashed into the Pentagon and our country had just been part of the worst terrorist attack since Pearl Harbor. Soon after a police car drove down the middle of the Mall (the grass strip surrounded by national monuments) with a bullhorn telling everyone to leave because there was another plane inbound. The Metro was flooded with people trying to get out of the city, but because they were heading north and didn't need to cross the Potomac, they were able to get back home.

Shortly after 9-11, people in the DC area were again terrorized by the DC sniper. The very first victim was a member of the church,and 2 sister missionaries nearby had rushed to her aid. Despite all the tragedy Becky experienced on her mission, she also had many wonderful experiences and loved it! She loved meeting and working with the large diversity of people, and said she gained a great understanding that there is truth in all religions and all religions strive to do good.

After her mission she went back to BYU to complete her degree in nursing. While there she met her husband Dan. They were in the same ward and apartment complex. He first noticed her at church one day and figured she was just a visitor since he hadn’t seen her before. He was surprised and excited to see her again later that night when she and her roommate took some goodies over to his roommate as a thank you for some help he had given. The girls met all the guys living in the apartment and she remembers thinking they were all stellar guys. They all seemed to have their head on their shoulders with a sense of direction.

On Tuesday Dan called to ask her out for the weekend and she mentioned she needed to go back to campus that night. He said he would drive her so she would be safe. When she went to get out of the car she had an impression to give him a good night kiss. She didn't but she noticed how familiar it felt to be with him. Two and a half months later they were in engaged and 2 ½ months after that, they were married.

After Becky graduated with her nursing degree and Dan finished his MBA they moved to Riverton and Dan successfully completed his CPA tests. One day, Dan was contacted by a recruiter to see if he would be interested in working for Disney in California. They thought it sounded like a great adventure, so they moved to Burbank and then later Pasadena. She said living there was so much fun. They loved frequenting Disneyland. Becky also says one of the most fun things about living there was the Rose Parade. They lived just at the end of the Rose Parade route and it was so much fun seeing the million dollar floats while they were parked by their house. They were so elaborate.

 

After about five years in Southern California, Dan and Becky were missing family and learned Becky’s dad had cancer. They made the decision to move back to Utah, and stayed with Becky’s parents in Layton until their house was completed in May 2014. Becky's dad is now cancer free, but earlier this year Dan unexpectedly lost his dad in a plane accident. Becky and Dan were very grateful to be back in Utah and spend more time with his dad before he passed away.

Becky says their family is grateful to be back in Utah, and to have recently added a child to their family. One of her favorite things is living in our ward. She loves how the people in this neighborhood all seem to go out of their way to include others, regardless of whether or not they are LDS. She also loves the semi-rural feel of the neighborhood. We are so happy to have Becky and the wonderful contribution of friendship she gives to all of us!