Portraits of Mary Moody provided by Andreii Moody Lynch and Reverend Patrick Young
Portraits of Mary Moody provided by Andreii Moody Lynch and Reverend Patrick Young
Clip from an oral history with Andreii Moody Lynch (daughter of Mary Moody) and Patrick Young (adopted son of Mary Moody).
Mary Lena Waller Moody (1924–2021) was a committed community leader in Corona and East Elmhurst.
Waller Moody began as a volunteer with the Board of Education and later served as the president of the Parent Teacher Association at P.S. 92 in Corona. This led to a career in education when she was hired as a school aide at P.S. 92 in 1962, eventually becoming the school’s supervisory paraprofessional. She retired from the New York City Board of Education in 1995.
Waller Moody was active in many community efforts. She was a Girl Scout Leader at the First Baptist Church in Corona, an election inspector, and a supervisor for a Saturday educational program for children at Grace Episcopal Church. She also owned and operated Big City Realty, which helped find housing for low-income families in Corona, and provided daycare services for working mothers in the area. Her other community involvement included supporting the Flushing Meadow Soap Box Derby and collecting toys for disabled children at Goldwater Hospital.
She received numerous citations, awards, and proclamations during her life. Two of the most memorable experiences for her were being crowned Miss Fine Brown Frame of Harlem and receiving a City Proclamation for "Mrs. Mary Moody Day" at City Hall in October 2019.
Gil Tauber, "NYC Honorary Street Names," accessed June 15, 2022
"Mary Moody Obituary," www.echovita.com, accessed October 7, 2022
Bill Parry, "‘Warrior queen’ of Corona memorialized with street co-naming in her longtime neighborhood," QNS.com, September 20, 2022