From Humble Beginnings a Childhood Vision Soars
There are so many stories that could be shared about Moody Cecil’s love of nature and how he grew up walking the land that his grandparents owned, later owned by his parents and then passed down to him.
As a child, his Aunt Dumpy would take him hiking and his Uncle Lovell took him fishing on a regular basis. On Sundays, the family would gather at the farm for Sunday dinner and play boardgames and with the years passing by it came up to video games and virual games, we have so much fun playing Super Mario and Fornite, you can review here for more games. I remember I kept all my nintendo consoles and it still takes me back. Moody’s mom (Alma) and dad (Moody Sr.) carried on the Sunday dinner tradition.
Cathy, Kent and their cousins Rita and Anita enjoyed their regular Sunday get together which included hiking, playing in the creek, floating stick boats, making homemade ice cream with an old time hand crank ice cream maker and many other activities. Anita says, “I have so many wonderful memories of Sunday dinners with Aunt Alma, Uncle Moody (Sr.), my dad, Junie (Moody Jr.), Cathy, and Kent. I will always cherish those memories as some of the best times in my life.”
Although Moody, Jr. (who we all knew as Moody) recognized that he was not cut out to be a farmer, he realized at a very young age he loved being on the farm. Moody decided when he acquired the land; he had been given the privilege of being steward of the land.
Moody and Cathy
Moody was dedicated to working with youth and the vision of creating “a legacy for future generations.” He began exploring the possibility of a Certified Stewardship Forest (a designated given by the Kentucky Division of Forestry.
Moody’s children Michelle Wolf (Matt), Cathy Bellamy (Rob), and Kent Cecil (Stephanie); and grandchildren Kyle Wolf, Kate Bellamy, Jordon and Leah Cecil enjoyed being at the farm.
Moody loved to fish. When each grandchild was born, he bought them fishing poles. Rob reminded Moody’s wife Sharon that Moody had taken Kate fishing for the first time.
Rob also shared a Memory Moment about when Cathy, Kate and he were having lunch with Moody at Uno’s Pizza on Bardstown Road. Kate was 3 or 4 at the time. She looked at her Granddaddy and asked why he lived on the other side of Louisville. Rob said that Moody calmly explained to Kate about our blended family, and said to Kate, “Cathy is my daughter and you are my granddaughter and I love you so much.” Kate was completely satisfied with this information and never brought it up again.
One of Sharon’s fondest memories is of grandsons Jordon and Kyle going fishing with Moody and Kent. They were thrilled that they caught a fish. Excitedly, the boys came running back from the creek and told Sharon that they had caught a 5 pound bass. When in actuality, it was a 5 inch bass. Through the years, Sharon would tease Moody about how he had not only taught the boys to fish but also taught them how to tell fish stories.
Moody was a fierce champion for both the young and old. With his extraordinary love of nature, it was decided that Sharon and Moody Cecil would create an organization that would offer health and wellness programming that provided “nurturance in nature.” In 1994, We Survive was born.
In 2004, Anita said her wedding vows under the gazebo at We Survive—now referred to as Haven of Hope. What a wonderful memory and tribute to her grandparents Florence and George Hahn.
As time passed, Moody’s memory began to fade. He lost many of the memories he held so near and dear. Despite this, Moody never lost his desire to be around people of all ages or his love for nature. He even attended LIGHTFEST Re-Ignited on November 5, 2016.
Moody’s passion was working with children from all walks of life. He enjoyed being part of the planning and participating in Day of Hope https://wesurvive.org/day-of-hope/ activities at We Survive’s Haven of Hope.
Moody Cecil
March 23, 1932 – December 19, 2016
To read more about Moody’s story, read Amazing Vision Offers Guiding Light.
To Donate or Comment (and share a Moody memory) visit the
A fund for the Haven of Hope Arts, Cultural and Nature Center.
I know you would be standing beside me today,
if heaven was not so far away.
Like We Survive’s Beacon of Hope,
your presence has a far reaching scope.
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