DAVID MOODY OF PIKE WAS FETED LAST WEEK BY CO-WORKERS, NEIGHBORS, AND FRIENDS. HE HAS BEEN AN ASSET FOR THE BECKET SCHOOL GROUP AND THEIR PROJECTS FOR OVER 40 YEARS
Bernie Marvin
February 19, 2026
Upstairs at the Hatchland Dairy Delites shop in North Haverhill on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, folks gathered to celebrate the long employment and hard work Dave Moody has provided to the former Pike School and the Becket Family of Services while they were actively building their school campuses and outdoor resources beginning in the 1970's.
It was not a surprise party for Dave and Doreen. It had been planned for an earlier date at Hatchland, but Dave was a bit under the weather that day, so the gathering was postponed until the 11th. About 50 people attended, and the Hatchland folks served a very nice lunch. It was a good time, and Dave received a slug of cards and good wishes from his friends who were there.
One of the highlights of the occasion was a brief talk given by Jay Wolter, the man now in charge of the Becket operation. Both Jay and his dad before him, John Wolter, knew Dave Moody well, because starting in about 1975, David worked on various projects on the property that included the acreage of the Upper Valley Stewardship Center, the school buildings, and everything else that Becket had created since beginning their adventure in Pike in 1975.
There were so many important parts of the school's early years, with Dave Moody right there helping out. One of his biggest projects was the maple sugaring operation that went on for much of the time the Upper Valley Stewardship Center was starting up, and the folks at the sugar house on Mount Moosilauke Highway were producing a high-quality sugar product.
It was an operation centered on the traditionally large sugaring building adjacent to the ball fields and the base of Iron Mountain. Dave oversaw the sugaring there, which included students, staff, neighbors, and friends all helping out.
No matter where anyone went on the 1800 acres of the Stewardship Center, whether in the woods, on the trails, or working around the buildings, Dave Moody could be seen busy at work, taking care of any number of projects that all continued to the success of the operation whether it was the farm, the extensive gardens, the animals, or the students.
At the luncheon, Jay Wolter spoke about his first visit to the area in 1975, remembering how he and his father visited various farmers, then learned that his father, John, had bought one of the farms, and the project began.
He paid high tribute to Dave Moody and others who came to the Wolter property to teach family members and employees how to farm and sustain the land. He said Dave always worked hard on all the farm projects and chores and became a close part of the projects that stretched from Pike to East Haverhill and beyond.
Another signature David Moody project was the operation of Pike Fall Festival, also known as Pike Days which ran from 2012 to 2015. This was a multi-part festival of farming, food, woodworking, and trekking through the woods, or riding Dalton Thayer's team of draft horses in his special wooden wagon, which has become an area hallmark.
For each of these special community events that drew participants from throughout the region, Dave Moody would set up the portable sawmill, cut boards, and have Pike Festival participants build their own special birdhouses.
It seemed that every family coming to the grounds of the Stewardship Center went home with a Dave Moody Bird House. How thrilled they all were with that!
The Stewardship Center area is now active with a variety of many outdoor programs enjoyed by the public and since Day One, David Moody has had a hand in developing and sustaining the important role it has all played in the Pike-East Haverhill area.
It was not a surprise party for Dave and Doreen. It had been planned for an earlier date at Hatchland, but Dave was a bit under the weather that day, so the gathering was postponed until the 11th. About 50 people attended, and the Hatchland folks served a very nice lunch. It was a good time, and Dave received a slug of cards and good wishes from his friends who were there.
One of the highlights of the occasion was a brief talk given by Jay Wolter, the man now in charge of the Becket operation. Both Jay and his dad before him, John Wolter, knew Dave Moody well, because starting in about 1975, David worked on various projects on the property that included the acreage of the Upper Valley Stewardship Center, the school buildings, and everything else that Becket had created since beginning their adventure in Pike in 1975.
There were so many important parts of the school's early years, with Dave Moody right there helping out. One of his biggest projects was the maple sugaring operation that went on for much of the time the Upper Valley Stewardship Center was starting up, and the folks at the sugar house on Mount Moosilauke Highway were producing a high-quality sugar product.
It was an operation centered on the traditionally large sugaring building adjacent to the ball fields and the base of Iron Mountain. Dave oversaw the sugaring there, which included students, staff, neighbors, and friends all helping out.
No matter where anyone went on the 1800 acres of the Stewardship Center, whether in the woods, on the trails, or working around the buildings, Dave Moody could be seen busy at work, taking care of any number of projects that all continued to the success of the operation whether it was the farm, the extensive gardens, the animals, or the students.
At the luncheon, Jay Wolter spoke about his first visit to the area in 1975, remembering how he and his father visited various farmers, then learned that his father, John, had bought one of the farms, and the project began.
He paid high tribute to Dave Moody and others who came to the Wolter property to teach family members and employees how to farm and sustain the land. He said Dave always worked hard on all the farm projects and chores and became a close part of the projects that stretched from Pike to East Haverhill and beyond.
Another signature David Moody project was the operation of Pike Fall Festival, also known as Pike Days which ran from 2012 to 2015. This was a multi-part festival of farming, food, woodworking, and trekking through the woods, or riding Dalton Thayer's team of draft horses in his special wooden wagon, which has become an area hallmark.
For each of these special community events that drew participants from throughout the region, Dave Moody would set up the portable sawmill, cut boards, and have Pike Festival participants build their own special birdhouses.
It seemed that every family coming to the grounds of the Stewardship Center went home with a Dave Moody Bird House. How thrilled they all were with that!
The Stewardship Center area is now active with a variety of many outdoor programs enjoyed by the public and since Day One, David Moody has had a hand in developing and sustaining the important role it has all played in the Pike-East Haverhill area.
In this 2015 Pike Fall Festival file photo, David Moody of Pike creates another load of pine boards from which he will build his well-known bird houses to be given away at the popular event that was held for five years. David, who was honored by friends and associates at a luncheon recently, spent more than 40 years with the Upper Valley Stewardship Center and the Pike and Becket Schools in Pike and East Haverhill. The Bridge Weekly file photo by Bernie Marvin.
Wolter Family spokesman Jay Wolter, at left, speaks with guests at a recent lunch honoring the service and work of David Moody, who was an important part of the Upper Valley Stewardship Center in Pike and East Haverhill. David worked with the Wolter family since 1975, when the late John Wolter bought the farm that began the successful stewardship and Pike School programs. Seen at center to right are Phil Conrad, David and Doreen Moody. The Bridge Weekly/Bernie Marvin
Guests of honor at a recent luncheon gathering at the Hatchland Dairy Delites in North Haverhill are David and Dorene Moody of Pike. David has been an important part of the programs at the Upper Valley Stewardship Center and the Pike and Becket Schools for the past 40 years. The Bridge Weekly/Bernie Marvin
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