Gary Myron Moland

Gary Moland passed away on June 7, 2025, after a valiant battle against pancreatic cancer. Gary was an outstanding high school scholar athlete, playing football, baseball and basketball for Bay County High School in Panama City, Florida. He was recognized as an all-county award winner for both offense and defense on a state championship football team. Bear Bryant recruited him to play college football at University of Alabama, but Gary chose instead to focus on academics. He went to Georgia Institute of Technology and got a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering, then went to Massachusetts Institute of Technology on a Department of Energy fellowship. Gary finished his formal studies at Emory University, earning a master’s degree in mathematics. After leaving academia, Gary established himself as a nationally recognized expert in the energy industry. While Gary was busy with scholarly activities, building a career and raising a family, he remained a lifelong athlete. He developed a passion for hiking and in 1997 through-hiked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. Gary’s greatest measure of success, though, are the relationships he forged with family, friends and co-workers. He was known by all as a true and trusted friend.

Gary is survived by his wife, Joanna Cloud, of Dawsonville, Georgia; his sons, Connor Moland, of Kentwood, Michigan, and Ethan Moland of Roswell, Georgia; his mother, Lois Moland, of Panama City, Florida; his father, Ed Moland and his husband, Ed Kniss of Port St. Lucie, Florida; his brother, Kevin Moland, his wife Sheila Moland and their son, Reid Moland of Panama City, Florida; his stepchildren, Grant Cloud, of Atlanta, Georgia, Darcy Cloud and Carson Cloud of Dawsonville, Georgia

There will be a memorial service held in Gary’s honor on Saturday, June 28th, 2025, at 2:00 pm Central time at Church of the Nazarene located at 3610 West 17th Street, Panama City, Florida. A celebration of life event will immediately follow at a location to be announced.

 In lieu of flowers, donations in Gary’s memory are requested to be made to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy 501(c)(3) organization via the website: appalachiantrail.org.