A strong faith and a positive approach to life.
A unifying force in the family, always willing to listen to others.
A fun person who likes to go out and about.
A blessing.
Family members and others who know Madeliene Moody used these words to describe her as she recently reached a milestone.
On May 26, the Jackson County native turned 100.
“Her faith was and is very important to her,” her son, Tom Sage, said. “She instilled that faith into both Judy (Vance, his sister) and me, and she practiced what she believed. She was a good Christian woman, and that has kept her content.”
Once she moved to Seymour later in life, Moody joined Redeemer Lutheran Church and became a very active member. She has lived at Lutheran Community Home in Seymour for 10 years.
Sage said more than a year ago, his mother had a stroke, and the family thought they were going to lose her. One day, Redeemer Pastor Andrew Currao came to visit her and prayed with her and for her.
“She would write him letters and notes about things the church was doing and how she thought maybe they ought to change. He kept the letters,” Sage said. “He shared that she had been very inspirational to him as a new minister at Redeemer and practices he ought to continue and follow.”
Moody made it through the stroke but now has dementia. Fortunately, she was able to make it to her 100th birthday on May 26 and enjoyed celebrating with family and friends at Lutheran Community Home.
“She always said, ‘I hope the Lord takes me while I’m still active and have my mind because I don’t want to be around here if I don’t,’ and the Lord has chosen not to do that and has let her be here,” Sage said. “She’s here for a purpose. I don’t think any of us can tell you what the purpose was or is, but there has been a purpose.”
About three years ago, Sage and his wife, Sarah Louise Sage, were visiting from where they live now, Summerville, South Carolina, when his mother shared something.
“She said, ‘You know, everybody says maybe I ought to live to be 100.’ She said, ‘I think I’m going to do that.’ She has,” Tom said, smiling.
“I can’t imagine life without her,” Vance said.
Born May 26, 1923, Madeliene was the sixth of seven children and grew up in Crothersville.
She later attended a couple of different schools until graduating from Paris Crossing High School on April 23, 1940. Soon after, she married Chalmer Sage.
Before Madeliene gave birth to their first child, Judy, Chalmer was drafted into the U.S. Army and wound up overseas in Germany during World War II.
“I was born Sept. 15 after he was taken in. He didn’t see me right after basic (training) even because from basic, they sent him to school,” Vance said.
While Chalmer was serving as a cook in the Army, Madeliene lived with her sister and family in Crothersville and had a job running the switchboard for Indiana Telephone Co. at a brick house on Howard Street.
“She did that through the war, and then when Daddy came back from the Army, she went to work at the shoe factory, Red Cross Shoes,” Vance said.
Chalmer died in 1971, and then Madeliene met Lester Moody. They were married in 1972. Lester lived in Seymour and has his own appliance store there. He had three children from a previous marriage. His spouse had died.
“She loved our dad with all of her heart. When she married Lester, she loved Lester with all of her heart. They were the two loves of her life,” Tom said.
Madeliene helped Lester at his store, but also over time, she worked at Parker’s Jewelry Store and Stoner’s Dress Shop, which also were in downtown Seymour.
Once Lester got out of the appliance business, he did a variety of things, including salesman and real estate. He also worked for Newton Manufacturing.
“That was when you used to go places and you’d need a calendar at the end of the year for next year and it would have advertisements on it,” Vance said. “Well, Newton was an advertising company. You bought stuff and they’d put your store (name) on it.”
After Lester sold the appliance store, Madeliene started doing alterations and picked up quilting. She also remained active at Redeemer and participated in different types of volunteer work.
Judy and Tom both said they admired their mother growing up.
“She was the type of mother who set forth duties and responsibilities you would have and held you accountable for doing those things, but she was never pushy or anything,” Tom said. “You knew her rules and you followed her rules. … You knew that if you wanted the home to be peaceful and quiet, you did what she said.”
Judy said her mother was quiet at times, and she was the go-to person for family and even neighbors if they wanted someone to listen.
Her brother agreed.
“Those who knew her would search Mother out for her advice. She gave them what she thought was the best advice she could give them, but if they didn’t take it, that’s OK. There was no expectation in her mind to do what she told them, but she would share with them what she thought,” Tom said.
“And they didn’t have to worry what they told her because she wasn’t going to tell others,” Judy added.
Madeliene’s home also was the place for holidays and other celebrations for the family, and she always made everyone feel welcome.
“Both sides of the family always got along,” Judy said.
“She was always the unifying part of the family,” Tom said.
Whether it was at those gatherings or at church, Madeliene was always dressed nice and had her hair done.
“Mother was neat as a pin,” Tom said.
“It didn’t matter what she put on, she looked good,” Judy said.
Any time Tom and his wife would come up from South Carolina to visit, he said his mother always liked to go on car rides and go out to eat.
“A lot of times, we would come up here for four or five days, and we would actually drive more miles on car rides than we drove up here and back from South Carolina,” Tom said. “She loved to go out and spend all day out, and she liked to eat out and see different things and share the conversation. Even when she got to where she couldn’t participate in the conversation, she loved to be there during the conversation.”
Judy said her mother always enjoyed doing new and different things.
“She liked change and liked new things,” she said. “Anyone who would come over and say, ‘Hey, you guys want to do this?’ they’d take off someplace, do something, get into something. She was all for it.”
Madeliene has lived at Lutheran Community Home since 2013, going from assisted living to the memory care unit to the nursing home.
“The Lord has given her during this part of her life the ability to be content in the environment she’s in rather than upset about being in the environment she’s in,” Tom said. “She has enjoyed living at the nursing home. She enjoyed living at the memory care unit. He has given her the peace to be content with what’s going on.”
Her children and other family members, friends and nursing home staff were invited to her 100th birthday celebration, where they gave her cards and enjoyed cake and cupcakes.
While Redeemer Associate Pastor Zach Huffman was there, he offered her a prayer, saying what a blessing she is not only for Redeemer but for friends and family.
“We give (the Lord) thanks for life. We give you thanks for celebration and the joy of your son,” he said. “We thank you for Madeliene and her 100th birthday, that you have given her so many wonderful years of life, a wonderful family and a joy and opportunity to be a witness to you here on Earth. Be with her in all that she does and always remind her of your son, who died and rose with her. In your most holy and precious name, amen.”