Campbell County firefighter remembered for dedication to fellow first responders

A ladder truck parked in front of the Lyn-Dan Volunteer Fire Department Friday morning, lifting a lone firefighter to carry out one solemn mission: to drape black shrouds over the building.

Those same, sad decorations covered a fire truck inside; a vehicle that will carry firefighter Patrick Moody to his final resting place.

"Patrick was a man of God, a man of his family, and a man of service," said Moody's friend and fellow firefighter, David Cox.

Cox said service defined every aspect of Moody's life.

"He was always wanting to help the next person," Cox explained.

His desire to help led him to become a firefighter, and sustained him when he was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer.

"He was such a motivation to me," said Cox, who is battling a health crisis of his own; a neuromuscular disease called Myasthenia Gravis.

When he was first diagnosed, Cox said Moody was his support system.

"A lot of times I went to have a pity party for myself, and I looked at Patrick and said 'he don't complain!," Cox said.

Cox and Moody's efforts to encourage one another during their medical battles led them to form "Brothers in Arms, a non-profit that aims to help first responders dealing with family and health situations.

According to Cox, Moody believed it was important for firefighters and emergency workers to support one another in times of crisis.

"Being in the fire service, a lot of times it's easier to talk to your brothers and sisters who do the same thing you do," Cox explained.

Brothers in Arms provides a network of emotional support, along with financial help. Since the organization was formally established more than a year ago, Brothers in Arms has assisted eight people and provided more than $10,000 in monetary aid to local first responders in crisis.

Cox said Brothers in Arms will be Moody's legacy; an organization that carries on his mission to serve others.

"He was a servant until his last breath on this earth," said Cox. "He was an incredible man, friend, and brother."

A memorial service for Moody will be held Tuesday afternoon at 1, at Blue Ridge Community Church in Evington.

Before he died, Moody was in the process of organizing an event called "Bands for the Brotherhood." The concert will raise money to buy clean turnout gear for local firefighters. The event will happen August 10 at the Moose Lodge on Waterlick Road in Campbell County.