were born and raised in Texas. JoAnn became a Texan March 19, 1941 and Gary followed January 3, 1942. Both come from strong Texas stock!

Gary grew up on a farm in rural South Texas where his roots date back to the early 1800’s. His great-great grandfather came to Texas in 1835 at the age of seventeen, looking for adventure and to fight for the Texas Republic. His great-great uncle was even the commander of the Alamo prior to Travis and the great battle. These two great men may be the source of his sense of adventure.

JoAnn was born in South Texas where her roots also date back to the 1800’s, her great grandparents having settled in the Gates Valley/Shiloh Community of Atascosa County Texas in 1881. She spent her early years in West Texas and later returned to Southern Texas where she lived in her teens, meeting her Co-founder and now husband.

Following in the footsteps of his great-great grandfather, Gary’s adventurous spirit surfaced at the age of seventeen. He joined the Navy right after graduating from high school. At that time JoAnn attended and completed two years of college at South West Texas University. Upon Gary’s return from active duty, he and JoAnn married, buying interest in JoAnn’s family’s dairy-farming business.

From here they followed their passions. JoAnn has always had a great love for people and their stories, forever fascinated by learning the history of others. Gary discovered a love for flying while in his teens. A local farmer took him for a ride in his small plane instilling him with the need to learn to fly himself. These dreams were realized in 1970, when he and JoAnn left the farm to make their livelihood from these passions. They have been encouraging, supporting, and participating in the other’s dreams for fifty-plus years.

The Founders have worked and traveled across the united states, from Texas to New Mexico , as far east as Illinois, as far south as Louisiana, and as far north as Alaska! They are always on the lookout for the new and exciting and relish the travel and opportunities to experience new things and different people. Their career paths have been as diverse as their destinations. JoAnn working as everything from a terminal office manager to a house museum docent and Gary working as a pilot, instructor, and mechanic.

After working and traveling across the main body of the United States Gary and JoAnn finally had the opportunity to pursue another passion. Gary had always been fascinated with Alaska and the thought of living in “The Last Frontier.” In 1997, the chance came for them to go to Alaska and fly! Gary and JoAnn, married for thirty five years at the time, accepted a position with a small air-taxi service in bush Alaska operating a remote station. For seven years they lived and worked in a small Yupik village approximately three hundred and fifty miles west of Anchorage.

Thanks to their drive, determination, and adventurous spirits they have gained a lot of things not excluding very diverse and rewarding experiences. Gary, known to the family as the man of many licenses, is an accomplished fix wing and helicopter pilot, flight instructor, and licensed aircraft mechanic. He has his commercial pilot license and has been a certified flight instructor for single and multi-engine land aircraft since 1970 and in 1990 obtained his commercial rotorcraft/helicopter rating and his Airframe and Power Plant Mechanic license. In 1997 he added his rotorcraft/helicopter instructor rating followed by his inspectors Authorization on his mechanics license in 1999.

The Moseleys keep track of their adventures through their writings and photos, documenting their times across the United States and Gary’s flights in his small experimental helicopter he had built and flew into the Bush, as well as his experiences of day to day flying mail and passengers in and out of remote villages of rural Alaska. They tell about their lives and the life styles of the bush as well as those of the wonderful people of the Interior. Gary’s stories are told as they happened, allowing the reader to experience these amazing events for themselves!

After venturing out and seeing the world Gary and JoAnn have returned to their Texas roots to put down permanent ones of their own. Settling on a farm situated on the land in the Gates Valley/Shiloh Community inherited by JoAnn and near Gary’s great-great grandfather’s land received for his service in Texas’ fight for independence. The significant plot of land Gates Valley has become the inspiration for the company name, Gates Valley Services LLC.

They are ready and excited for all the future adventures to come!