Gary Russell Moody, age 68, passed away peacefully at his home in Letcher, SD after a sudden brief battle with lung disease.
Gary was the fourth son and a Christmas Eve baby, born in Portland, OR to William and Genevieve Moody.  Gary attended more than one elementary school in Oregon, but finalized his education at Sandy High School in Sandy, OR.
He was always known as a hard worker, and he eventually decided on a career as a mechanical insulator.  Whether Gary was running working or a member of a crew on a project he was a perfectionist.  For close to 30 years he worked for the Local 36 and was well-known and greatly respected for his work.  He retired in 2017 and moved from Oregon with his wife, Diane Jensen Moody, to her home state of South Dakota.
Gary was a family man.  He was known as Dadman to Carrie (Moody) Gavin and Gare Moody, Two-Dad to Kathryn Campbell, Grandpa to Rhiannon Gavin and Hunter Moomaw, and Dog-Dad to his many four-legged children including his St. Bernards, Oly and Lena.  He loved doing sports and was a coach for his children's softball teams.  He also loved music and took dance classes.  He would have dance parties in the living room with his children. His children and grandchildren also remember how he loved adventures, which may be doing a neighborhood fireworks display, going to the zoo or an amusement park on a whim, or spending time on/or in the water-skiing, fishing, or swimming-or just going to the coast.
Gary loved the holidays-from trick or treating adventures with his kids on Halloween to helping making great feasts for Thanksgiving to doing all of the Christmas festivities.  He never cared that his birthday was on Christmas Eve. He said that was just more of the fun!
Many of Gary's "hobbies" were actually work.  He always kept his property well-mowed and taken care of.  He and his wife, Diane, supervised and did many projects toward building the two homes that they lived in during their 21-year marriage.  His carpentry skills were unmatched, and his creativity was amazing.
Gary and Diane enjoyed their free time together doing walks or eating great food (home-cooked or dinning out).  Gary's other mellower hobbies were watching sports and politics, listening to music, and reading his newspaper (old-school).
He is survived by his wife Diane, his stepdaughter Katy, his two children, Carrie and Gare and their mother Trudee Lascala, grandchildren Rhiannon and Hunter, his brother Randy (Teri) Moody, his brother Larry, as well as many in-laws and nieces and nephews.
He was proceeded in death by his parents and his brother Charlie Moody.
His energy toward life and his many talents will not easily be forgotten!  A small family celebration of life will be held in Oregon at a later date.