In Memoriam: William Moodie

	William Moodie

William "Bill" Moodie passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, in Costa Mesa, California, on December 29, 2023. He was 94.

Born in 1929, in Tonawanda, New York, Moodie was the fifth of ten children born to Eugene and Beatrice Moodie. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the Army, where he was stationed in Guam and served in the Signal Corps from 1946 to 1949.

After the Army, Moodie moved to California, studying drama at Santa Ana College. While there, he was encouraged to use the GI Bill to transfer to the University of Arizona to get a degree in theatre. During his time in Arizona, a chance meeting with Century Lighting led to a job in the company Los Angeles office.

In 1987, Moodie partnered with friend Tom Pincu and started Moodie/Pincu Associates until retiring in 2006. MPA is still the leading theatrical lighting and control design firm in Southern California.

Moodie met his first wife, Patricia, at the University of Arizona. They married in 1957, settling in the San Fernando Valley and raising daughters Wendy, born in 1963, and Jennifer, born in 1971. Patricia Moodie died in 1994.

During his career, Moodie designed hundreds of stage lighting systems for schools, churches, and theatres. A supporter of theatre education programs, he was on the board of the Educational Theatre Association and USITT. As a salesman, he prided himself on his ability to develop and nourish long-term relationships that turned into genuine connections.

In 1997, at a family wedding aboard the Queen Mary, Moodie met Shirley Clark and embarked on a courtship that would lead to a second marriage lasting 24 years. In his retirement, he enjoyed puttering in his garden and the occasional game of golf; he was an avid reader, enjoying history and anything related to WWII. He was proud to be a docent at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, where he was known as Mr. Moodie, the lighting expert. Those touring the center can stop at Moodie's Point, which he identified as the optimal place to take in the theatre's full splendor. (See photo.)

Moodie, who was captivated by the Scottish heritage of his father's family, learned to play the bagpipes, becoming a piper in the 78th Frasier Highland Regiment, a Canadian Military Regiment garrisoned in Quebec, where he played the pipes at festivals and ceremonies. During COVID, at 5PM every evening, he and Shirley held court, entertaining friends and neighbors on their front lawn while they sat on their porch.

Moodie is survived by wife Shirley; daughters Wendy Moodie and Jennifer Jenks; stepdaughters Kelly Tanguay, Lisa Birse, Sara Nixon, and Jennifer Castano; their spouses: Terry, Jonny, Dan, Charlie, Onassis and Erich; 12 grandchildren: Phoebe and Quinn Jenks, Parker and Addison Tanguay, Cameron, Rory, and Emily Birse, Hannah, Kai, and Trejan Nixon, Michael and Ethan Castano; three brothers: David, Robert and Les; two sisters, Alice and Ann; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by brothers Donald, Eugene, and Richard and sister, Betty.

A celebration of Moodie's life will be held on April 6 at 3:00pm at the Ancillary in South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa.