Helmi Elvira (Peckert) Moody, 87, died May 10th at CHI Health Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, Nebraska. She was born September 28, 1928 in Prague, Czechoslovakia to Karl and Berta (Rakuschan) Peckert. She was raised in Bodenbach, Czechoslovakia and attended schools there. In 1945, she and her family came to Erlangen, Germany as refugees. She worked for one year for the U.S. Army Air Corps as a switchboard operator.

She married Robert T. Moody, July 12, 1948 in Frauenaurach, Germany. They moved to Holton, Kansas and in January 1950 they moved to Almena, Kansas. They purchased The Almena Plaindealer February 1, 1950 and she worked at the newspaper for 40 years before retiring the last hot lead newspaper in the state on December 30, 1990.

She served several years on the Almena City Council. She worked part-time at the Norton Public Library beginning September 1991. She retired from the library on December 30, 2008. She continued to volunteer for the library and the Northwest Kansas Public Library System until her death.

She is survived by her 2 sons, Robert T., Jr (Patricia), Lawrence, Randolf W. (Donna), Jewell, and 3 grandchildren, Tristan (Krista) Moody , Sterling Moody, and Vicki Moody and one great grandson, Hudson Moody. She is also survived by 2 sisters, Gerti Peckert and Erika Peckert, of Erlangen, Germany. She has many other relatives in Germany.

She was predeceased by her parents, husband, Robert, one sister, Gertrude, and four brothers, Gerhard, Erich, Karl and Rudolf.

She was honored with the Boyd Community Service Award by the Kansas Press Association in 1982, and the Community Service Award by the Almena Chamber of Commerce, and a gubernatorial proclamation of Helmi E. Moody day.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, June 9th, 2016 at the Almena Community Center in Almena. Memorials have been established for the Norton Public Library and the Prairie Dog Press in care of Oliff-Boeve Chapel, Phillipsburg, KS.