Levi Dylan Burzlaff-Luett didn't know Matt Moody for very long, but she called him a legend.
Many people can tell you how Moody earned that status. Each story will be different. Specific.
"He was always there," Burzlaff-Luett said. "In the background. Doing the work. He was the person who taught me I was good enough for the stage again."
Matthew A. Moody was 56 years old when he died June 30. To say he was a beloved and respected member of the arts community in the Quad-Cities and Muscatine is to scratch the surface of a life that touched countless people with kindness, acceptance and support.
Moody was born on May 3, 1968, in Muscatine and married Mandy M. Byrd on Nov. 13, 2009, in the place he was born. He worked for the HNI Corporation for nearly 30 years, but his passion was the arts. Some knew him as an actor, or writer or director. Others knew him as a comedian, or a handyman.
People are also reading…
But most people met him while he served as the volunteer manager and operator of the Village Theatre. He started there in 2014 and is widely recognized for opening the theater to people and expression from all walks of life.
He touched lives along the way.
"We had only met recently and had already become fond friends, and I was looking forward to so many more years of getting to know that man better," Burzlaff-Luett said. "Anyone who can stand on a stage and air-bass after a night of karaoke is a man that understands the value of back-up."
Burzlaff-Luett is a transwoman who lives in Maquoketa. She said her connection to Moody was a deeply personal one.
"It was two Saturdays ago that he convinced me to hop on stage and sing in public for the first time in seven years," she said. "And in his small act, he showed me more than I have felt from my own community in that seven years.
"I missed that. I needed that. I was owed that. The last conversation I had with Matt was to congratulate him on creating a fabulous venue and loving home. He responded: 'That's my goal. To make a safe space for all of you.' As a transwoman, a comment like that means more than the world. It means home. That is what Matt Moody was. Not a theatre. Not a man. A home."
Benjamin Lawson did not hesitate to talk about Moody's legend.
"Few people often have such an effect on their community — let alone the music, burlesque, theater, comedy, LGBTQ+ and other communities. But lo, we were lucky enough in our time to have one of these extraordinary people — Matt Moody.
"Though my meeting Matt was by happenstance, it was impossible not to be sucked into the sphere of positivity, inclusivity and joy that his presence brought. Working side-by-side during events doing sound/light together were some of the best times I’ve had in the last few years. A lot of early days and late nights had us moving speakers, untangling cables and chatting about ways to improve the quality of engineering for future events. All while having some amazing laughs and heartfelt moments. He also didn’t hesitate to lend the Village Theatre as the venue for my band’s album release and fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity in 2023."
Lindsey Joens is a local artist who did graphic design and printing for area theaters. She met Moody in 2010 through her work. In 2017 she battled a blood cancer. That's when Moody really came into her life.
"I lost my job, my partner, and for the obvious reasons, my health. You find out who is in your corner in those sort of events and Matt was one of those people," she said.
Joens said others saw Moody at his best.
"Matt was always very knowledgeable and supportive of the arts. He had a knack for seeing through your lens and understanding what you were trying to achieve," she said.
Moody worked behind the scenes, kept things running smoothly and was every artist's biggest fan.
"He provided a safe haven in the theater and cut down barriers for creatives in his every day," Joens said. "It's just who he was. He was an incredibly talented man and it was incredible thing that he took the time to make everyone around him feel just as important."
Joens said Moody was "like a second father and trusted confidante."
Sam Barber lives in Milwaukee these days, but he said he will never forget the man who gave him a chance.
"So I used to promote concerts in the Quad-Cities before I moved, I met Matt for the first time in 2018," he said. "I was 19 years old and was booking punk and metal shows and most people would blow me off because of how young I was. But he didn’t even acknowledge it and helped in any way he could.
"I booked a lot of shows at the Village Theatre and Matt always was happy to help and when a show would flop he’d cut me a deal so I didn’t lose hundreds of dollars on shows," Barber continued. "He would always ask if I was OK when I seemed stressed about a show not doing as well as I had hoped, and he’d give me words of encouragement to keep booking shows and do what I loved doing."
Barber said Moody had a hand in music, burlesque, comedy, theater and anything involved in the arts.
"The improvements he made to the Village Theatre were incredible and he made it one of my favorite places to have shows," Barber said. "Matt was genuinely was one of the kindest people I ever had the pleasure of working with in the Quad-Cities music scene."