LONGTIME VETERINARIAN, ROBERT MODY, DIES

JACKSON -- Funeral service for Dr. Robert B. Moody of Jackson will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at McCombs Funeral Chapel, with the Rev. Rodney Travis officiating. Burial will be in Russell Heights Cemetery.

Friends may call at the funeral home from 4-8 p.m. today.

Moody, 77, died Wednesday, July 6, 1994, at his home.

He was born April 26, 1917, in Lenexa, Kan., son of Raymond M. and Alice E. Fox Moody. He and Virginia Reynolds were married Oct. 20, 1958.

Moody received the doctor of veterinary medicine degree from Kansas State University in 1943. He was on the faculty a year and then entered large animal practice in Yates Center, Kan.

In 1953 he assisted in the foot and mouth disease eradication effort in Mexico, and at the conclusion of the program entered practice in Jackson. In 1958 he accepted the position of field veterinarian with the USDA at Rolla.

From 1966-80 he held various regulatory positions which included hog cholera epidemiologist implementing Missouri's eradication program; established and supervised bull semen collection quarantine station in Switzerland for export of semen to the United States; served as assistant veterinarian in charge in Hawaii and port veterinarian in Honolulu and Hilo; district veterinarian in charge in Oregon, Idaho, Washington and Alaska, and assistant area veterinarian in charge in Nebraska.

From 1980-86 he was area veterinarian in charge in Missouri. He retired in August 1986 and moved to Jackson.

Moody had been a member of specialized task forces on disease diagnosis, epidemiology, eradication procedures, quarantines, personnel assignments and laboratory diagnosis procedures in Canada, Mexico, the states of Arizona, California, Iowa, Texas, Utah, and the U.S. headquarters office.

He was a member of Southeast Missouri Veterinary Medical Association, Missouri Veterinary Medical Association, American Veterinary Medical Association, National Association of Federal Veterinarians, and Kansas State University Alumni Association.

Moody served on the Missouri VMA Bovine Disease Control Committee in 1966 and '67, Advisory Committee to the College of Veterinary Medicine in 1989, 1990 and 1991, and served as chairman of the Missouri VMA Public Health and Environmental Protection Committee in 1992 and '93. He was also a board member of the Missouri Veterinary Medical Foundation from 1989-1993.

He was a member of First Baptist Church and its Harvester Sunday School Class. He was president of the Cape Girardeau Chapter of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees from 1990-92.

Survivors include his wife; a son, Rodney of St. Louis; two daughters, Rebecca of Jefferson City, Lucia of Mission, Kan.; two brothers, Edward Moody of Olathe, Kan., Austin Moody of Kincaid, Kan.; a sister, Alice Eastin of Sunrise Beach; seven grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.