Carl Moodt dies at 75

Other than family, there were few things Carl Moodt III cared about more than the South Country School District.

Moodt, who died May 20 at age 75, and his wife Sheryl took over the role as team parents to the Bellport High School football team in 1999.

They organized Friday night pizza parties and helped cook and serve the team breakfast on game days.

If the Clippers beat a major rival the week before, you could count on Carl having steak on the menu the following Saturday, Sheryl said.

“There wasn’t a day that went by when he wasn’t cheering on the team or cooking,” Sheryl said. “It was anything for these kids.”

Carl started a golf tournament to raise money to help support the Clippers.

And at Thanksgiving, it wasn’t unusual for players who had nowhere else to go to join the Moodts around the dinner table.

Bellport football also meant family.

Sons Kyle and Kevin played for the Clippers.

Kyle, who graduated in 2001, became assistant varsity football coach and a fifth grade teacher at Frank P. Long Intermediate School.

Kevin, who graduated in 2002, was part of the 2001 team that won the New York State championship and the Rutgers Trophy, as the top team in Suffolk County.

Carl Moodt’s interest in Bellport football led him to take a wider interest in the South Country School District.

He served two three-year terms on the Board of Education, the first from 2002 to 2005 and the second from 2006 to 2009, including serving as vice president.

In his later years, after Moodt retired from a long career in restaurant management, he became a security guard at Brookhaven Elementary and other district schools.

He was a popular figure among the students, known for wearing colorful hats and twinkling lights on his shoes.

“Carl was one of the kindest safety responders we had in the district,” Board of Education President Cheryl Felice said. “He was supportive of our sports programs and a beloved member of the board and he was just a fun guy to be around.”

Carl grew up in the Midwest, first in the Cleveland area and then near Pittsburgh. He was in the Air Force, stationed at the U.S. Air Force Base at Westhampton Beach, when he met Sheryl. They would have celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary in July.
The couple has three children—sons Kyle (and wife Michelle) and Kevin (and wife Alexandra) and daughter Kristin Christie, a fourth grade teacher at Frank P. Long Intermediate School (and husband Scott Christie).

Carl’s hobbies included boating, reading and traveling with friends, including a memorable trip to Amsterdam, Spain and Portugal.

But Carl’s greatest joys were his grandchildren—Ryann, Courtney, Kayla, Brody, Emma and Charlie.

They were “his world,” Sheryl said, and he wanted to be present for every important moment in their lives.