To Avery and Jackson: As I sit here listening to My Morning Jacket, I am missing my musical soul mate—your Dad. I often called him this. I don’t know if you have ever made a blended playlist on Spotify. When you first do that, it tells you how compatible your musical tastes are with the other person. Your Dad and I were 97% compatible. That misaligned 3% must have been all about Steely Dan, which your Dad and I are argued about often, and to which my current position is and forever will be despite your Dad’s dissertations about Steely Dan’s coolness—STEELY DAN IS SO LAME! Oh man, do I miss your Dad. He just had the world’s best energy—the best. That is a really general and vague description, so let me try to articulate it. He just fit everywhere. He “got” people and what they needed and how to make them comfortable and relaxed. He could be intense about things—the stereo settings, the Cubs, the food, the wine—but never with people. He was so easy going but he also could stand completely firm on something without being a jerk or threatening. He was funny. He was really worldly too. So many people will talk of his love for music, food, the Cubs, but he was really worldly. Meaning, you could talk to him about just about anything and he would have working knowledge of it. This made him so great to talk to. I would never get bored talking to him.
He loved to plan things! Loved it! He loved to organized the details and think of the little things. One of the best things that could happen to you was being a part of something that Jody planned. He took such delight in it with his spreadsheets. You just knew that it was going to be fun and well thought out.
Random, but something the he would do, which is becoming a lost art these days, is talk on the phone. If you were texting with him and it went longer than two back and forth’s, then your phone would ring. I loved this. Yeah, let's chat! Let me hear that voice! Let me give you some shit about something—which I always did, and to which he always took with a laugh and then gave right back to me.
I could go on and on. I miss him. It just does not seem right that someone so amazing should be taken from us when we all needed more Jody Moulton in our lives—not less! That will never seem just to me, but… the only thing left for us all to do is to try to emulate that amazing spirit—because it was so amazing—and to keep it alive. The world needs more of it—not less and its up to us to do it. With much love, Carth
He was all of this...to everyone! Thanks for shining a light on all that he was. We will work hard to emulate his amazing spirit. He really loved you too.