Murphys, CA…Garry John Moes, 81, longtime resident of Calaveras County, passed on to Glory Thursday, May 22, 2025, at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Stockton due to complications from surgery.

Garry was born April 30, 1944, in Princeton, Minnesota, to John and Elaine (Berghuis) Moes. His earliest years were spent in central Minnesota among the Dutch farming communities of Milaca and Pease, where his grandfather served as a pastor. The family lived in a home built by his father near the river in Milaca until 1954, when they moved to Waterloo, Iowa, where John accepted the call to pastor a church.

In 1957, the family relocated to Grand Rapids, Michigan. Garry spent much of the 1960s in Michigan, attending Calvin College and later Michigan State University, where he earned a degree in journalism.

Shortly after joining the United States Air Force, he reunited with Karlinda Moorlag, who was then in nursing school. Though they had known each other as children — thanks to the close friendship between their parents — for Garry, it was love at second sight. From then on, he only had eyes for her.

During the Vietnam War, Garry entered the Air Force and ultimately attained the rank of Captain. He received his basic training, and shortly thereafter, officers training, at Lackland AFB and was stationed at Chanute Air Force Base in Illinois, then Volk Field, Wisconsin, before final assignment at Perrin AFB in Denison, Texas, where he served as a maintenance officer for the base’s fleet of F-102 Delta Daggers.

On October 26, 1968, Garry realized his greatest dream when he married Karlinda in Pease, Minnesota, where family on both sides have deep roots. The ceremony, officiated by his father, saw the newlyweds emerging from the church as husband and wife beneath an arch of crossed officers’ swords.

In 1970, while Garry was still in the Air Force, the couple welcomed their first son, Graham. Shortly after, Garry returned to his journalistic calling, joining the Associated Press, a career to which he would devote the next 20 years.

He worked first in Charleston, West Virginia (1971–1972), then in Salt Lake City, Utah (1972–1976), where their second
son, Brook, was born in 1975. The family next moved to Helena, Montana, where Garry covered state government from the Capitol with passion and integrity. At one point, a newspaper poll even named him the fourth most influential person in the state. While in Helena, daughters Shiloh (1978) and Brittany (1983) were born, growing their family to six.

In 1985, Garry followed a new calling: combining his love for journalism with his even deeper desire to serve God. He accepted a position as study rector at the Nordic College of Journalism in Mullsjö, Sweden, working to develop the next generation of Christian journalists. During this time, he authored his still-in-print textbook, A Watchman of the Nations. While in Europe, on another adventure, Garry also led his family behind the Iron Curtain, smuggling clothing to persecuted Christians in Hungary and Romania.

He returned to the U.S. in 1987 to became editor-in-chief of the Journal of Christian Reconstruction for the Chalcedon Foundation in Murphys, California. The Moes family planted new roots in the Sierra foothills, where they would remain for decades. In the early 1990s, Garry transitioned to freelance writing and editing, and in 1991, welcomed youngest daughter, Marijke, completing the family.

Garry and Karlinda later also managed Murphys Christian Camp, welcoming countless guests to a place of peace and spiritual retreat in California gold country.

Later, their continuing life adventure took them across the country to Greenville, South Carolina, in 2010, where Garry served Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary as Director of Development. They embraced life in the South, enjoying visits to the coast, historical sites, and cherished times with family in that part of the country.

Following heart surgery, Garry retired, and the couple returned to the Murphys area in 2017. There, Garry continued to do freelance work, author books on faith and politics, and enjoy his days with his beloved Karlinda and their ever-growing extended family, living a life full of love, faith, and quiet wisdom.

Garry was a faithful member of Calaveras Presbyterian Church and every congregation he joined over the years. In his lifetime he served as an elder, deacon, Sunday School teacher, lay minister to farm workers, counselor to neighbors, and more.

A man of quiet strength, Garry embodied the best of the Silent Generation. He was also a master of puns and Dad jokes who passed his love of Andy Griffith and Monty Python down to his family, was a true fan of Giants baseball, and lived as a gentleman in every sense of the word. He will be deeply missed, but his legacy lives on in the lives he touched, the family he loved, and – in reality – with the Father in heaven right now.

He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Elaine Moes, and his sister, Patricia Dys (Peter). He is survived by his loving wife of 56 years, Karlinda, and their children: Graham Moes (Roslyn), Brook Moes (Tonya), Shiloh Hand (Mark), Brittany Duggan (Dave), and Marijke Joubert (Pierre). He is also survived by his brothers, Phil Moes (Becky) and Paul Moes (Phyllis); his sisters, Gloria Oostema (Jack) and Rachel Larson (Paul); and his brother-in-law, Peter Dys (Patricia). Garry leaves behind 28 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren (with one on the way), who will carry on his legacy of faith, humor, and steadfast love.

A celebration of life service will be held at Calaveras Presbyterian Church (Bret Harte High School Theater) in Angels Camp on June 21st at 11:00 a.m.