Always Smiling: A Tribute to Steve Moody

By Tim Unruh

This story has been revised from it's original, released in January 2024 as the foreword to Steve Moody's book, "The Story of My Life: A Collection of Stories In The Life Of A Fire Chief", available on Amazon. 

Steve Moody passed away on March 3, 2026.

At some point in the spring of 1999, Steve Moody graced my professional life as a high-ranking member of the Salina Fire Department.

The introduction was pleasant, also imposing, as the tall burly fellow with a mustache and a big smile first greeted me in Fire Station 1.

I was new to Salina at the time, clamoring to learn the community and gain acceptance from sources as a local newspaper reporter.

First impressions were clear as I sized up the man in uniform, consisting of dark slacks, polished black shoes, a white shirt and name tag pinned to his pocket.

Steve struck me as a professional who loved his job as a firefighter, clearly dedicated to serving and protecting the community where he grew up; a happy man whose voice boomed if needed, and who sported a strong and enthusiastic laugh.

Early notes to self were "nice guy, clearly in command and in charge, especially if called into service; and it's probably not a good idea to tick him off."

Steve was a friend of the news media, who embraced the special partnership as essential to his service.

It was a joy to visit him at the SFD, or chat over the phone.

That's about the sum total of my memories of Steve Moody, because he left the department and Salina in 2005.

I wish he could have stayed put, but fate had other ideas for Steve, whose manly charm elevated him to hero status at home and in other communities he served.

His 37 years as a firefighter, paramedic, and respected leader continued to glisten as he led fire departments — while filling other positions at times at Leavenworth, Stafford, and El Dorado — in that order.

Among his tremendous experiences and-or feats, he delivered a baby, Eva, in Stafford. He depicted the heroism in an aw-shucks sort of way — "It was just a grab & catch."

Accomplishments included directing Stafford County Emergency Management, the county Emergency Medical Service, serving as fire chief, modernizing the department, and creating a website to update the community.

As El Dorado's fire chief, Steve ran the department and worked closely with the state and federal prisons.

"It was a wonderful career," he said in a phone conversation in early January of 2024.

Steve left Salina mildly heartbroken for not being offered the fire chief position after serving as the interim chief, deputy chief, and fire marshal at the same time but vowed not to hold a grudge, and waved goodbye as a legend to many.

"He was great to work with," said Willis Sutton, of Manhattan, an SFD retiree who spent the bulk of his career in lockstep with the man who set a strong example.

"When Steve was in charge, he was really good about helping people out and giving you an idea of what the job was," Sutton said. "He worked every position there and was very knowledgeable. He was a good friend. He came and helped me build a house in Manhattan. Most of the firemen helped others out."

Steve's most important first impression occurred during his junior year in high school, when Rosie Reyes took her first gaze at the man who would become her husband.

With his dominant arm in a cast following a wrestling injury, Steve was shooting baskets at Sunset Elementary School one afternoon.

"He was like an adonis, wearing this tank top, and was really muscular," she recalled. "It was like the sun opened up and said 'awe, here he is.' I thought 'Oh my gosh.' He waited like a month and called me. He was very shy, and I was very shy, and our conversation was not too many words."

They eventually married in 1979 and built a life that included two sons, Matthew (Matt) and Weston.

"Steve would do anything for those boys. He could work a 24-hour shift, but if they wanted to go out and play pitch-and-catch, he'd go," Rosie said, "and if Steve's right arm got tired, he'd switch to the left."

From coaching his boys and being an ardent fan, Steve earned stellar reviews as a father.

"He never turned us down," Weston said.

Baseball proved to be a strong bond for the Moody boys and their father.

"It was a way for us to do things together. Dad was always coaching me and my brother. He was a baseball fanatic," Weston said.

When Steve and Rosie left Salina, family influenced them to stay close enough to enjoy their sons' college careers at Fort Hays State University, where both played baseball, and Weston was also on the football team.

"Steve was absolutely the best father any boy could want," Rosie said.

Both agreed.

"It was a pretty good experience. Dad was one of the most caring persons you'll ever meet," Weston said. "He was always nice to people, always opening doors for ladies and helping the elderly."

"My dad dealt with a crazy amount of adversity and what was so amazing is that he never let it affect how he treated people. From being born with polio, losing his dad when he was only 3-years-old, being overlooked for his dream job, to being afflicted with Lewy Body dementia — most people would become bitter, and he never did," Matt said.

"When it came to my brother and I, there was nothing he didn't do for us. I've always thought that the fact that he never knew his own dad probably led him to take advantage of all the time he had with us. If we needed him, he was there. If I end up half the dad to my kids as he was to my brother and I, I will be happy. I know most kids think of their dads like Superman, but in our case, he was a very real hero. We don't even really know how many lives he saved because he did it without expecting any recognition."

The boys are now married, and the Moody clan includes five grandkids. Steve and Rosie kept up with their march through manhood, prowess in business and education (respectively), marriage and parenthood.

Matt, 44, has excelled in business and is a co-founder of Salina311, and first-year head baseball coach at Wamego High School. Weston, 40, is head football coach at Wamego High School creating one of the powerhouse football programs in Kansas over the past few years.

Steve and Rosie had returned to Salina after Steve was forced to retire after being diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia, but they being within a 72-minute drive of their growing family — Matt and wife Erin, their son Macoy, and daughters Vienna and Lennyn; and Weston and wife Kiley, their daughter Amaia and son Grayson.

Memories remain clear to a couple of classmates who turned their tassels together at Salina Central High School:

"Steve was one of the most decent and kind persons I have ever met. He was great to work with when I was a reporter covering accidents and fires, while he was deputy chief at the Salina Fire Department," said Randy Picking, a talk show host at KINA radio in Salina, also a recent inductee into the Kansas Association of Broadcasting Hall of Fame.

He shared a story about Steve's nonchalant reaction to an example of his heroism.

"Someone shared that Steve was out to dinner with Rosie when another patron began choking. Steve performed the Heimlich maneuver, cleared the man's airway, and then sat back down to finish his meal," Picking said. "He really cared about everyone, and I'm truly lucky to have had the privilege of knowing Steve Moody. Thank you, Chief!"

"Steve was always good to work with when I was a photographer for the Salina Journal. Always helpful," said Tom Dorsey. "The pictures in my mind are the same from when he was a high school classmate and when he was with the Salina Fire Department. He was always smiling."

These words stand as a tribute to a great man, a loving husband, and the patriarch of a high-achieving family that continues to enrich our Kansas community and world.