Movin’ on

A beloved local family behind a longtime and well-respected community business announced they are closing their doors and parking their trucks.

KM Moving Services last week ended its successful 35 year run as the first and only established moving company in Oakhurst, with Kevin Moody at the helm and his family — Dana, Liam and Quinn — at the core.

Dana Moody said the business started with Kevin, “a simple man with a simple plan: to help people.” And he wound up servicing the 11 western states.

In the late 1980s, Dana explained, Kevin was the service manager at Marv’s Chevron in Oakhurst. One day, a customer came in and asked if Kevin and a buddy could help him move.

“Excited to make a little extra money, Kevin and his best friend, Joe Kraft, gathered some blankets and got to work,” Moody continued. With a love for lifting weights, the job seemed like a good fit.

“The customer was thrilled. At the end of that day, Kevin realized he’d found his calling. He thought, ‘I just got paid to work out and we really helped someone!’”

Taking root

The idea took root and in 1991 Kevin bought his first truck, a 1970 green vintage model with the elephant logo — and later on, two more trucks. Kevin and Joe established K&M Hauling, which Moody said was the very first and only moving company in Oakhurst.

When Joe eventually moved away, the business transformed into KM Moving Services.

At the time, Dana was working in Oakhurst as a digital artist at video game developer and publisher Sierra On-Line — a job she loved.

“That connection proved to be a catalyst for our growth,” she reflected recently.

“In 1993, when Ken and Roberta Williams moved their headquarters to Seattle, Kevin acquired nearly every job for the corporate and executive staff. To handle the scale of these moves, Kevin earned his Commercial Driver’s License and we invested in a 26-foot truck for local work and a 30,000 pound truck to manage those long-distance, out-of-state hauls.”

Later, during the massive layoffs in 1994, KM Moving was there again to help many of the company’s employees relocate out of the now-economically challenged area.

“Kevin formed a longstanding bond with Bob Wharton, who commissioned us throughout the 90s to move equipment and housing for both Sierra and Tsunami Games.”

Meanwhile, Kevin and Dana’s personal lives grew alongside the business. Married in 1995, the couple bought their first home and welcomed sons Liam and Quinn.

“Kevin asked if I would stay home with our boys. It was a no brainer! I left my beloved career to raise our boys. I told Kevin then that if he ‘took the shift’ while they were little, I would take the shift later when they grew. That is exactly how God allowed it to happen.”

A flourishing company … then tragedy

The growth of Oakhurst in the 2000s allowed KM Moving to flourish. And when the economy soured amidst loan fiascos and recession later that decade, KM moved people through the crisis. Even during the pandemic, the company was considered essential.

But winters were hard, when things slowed down. They did what they could to stay afloat. Dana took on extra work and they remained proud and determined to make it through tough times.

“Kevin’s dedication and extreme professionalism and ‘Type-A’ personality got us through all those years. Both of our sons joined the business, individually claiming roles as managers, with Quinn ultimately stepping into his father’s footsteps.”

But all too soon the family began to witness the beginnings of a disease they could never have predicted, Moody explained, and suffered a tragedy beyond imagination.

“Kevin was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s in early 2023. Then, in May of 2024, our family was shattered when our oldest son, Liam, became a victim of homicide.”

Liam Moody was 27 when he died. His girlfriend was taken into custody in January of 2025 and charged with felony homicide. A preliminary hearing setting is scheduled for May 8.

Dana Moody said, amidst heartbreak, the shift in her family’s dynamic showed them what they are truly made of.

The human experience

“Even in the face of such devastation, we never stopped recognizing how blessed we are by this community! We are all so grateful for the deep friendships formed through our business, the closeness of our families and through the love of Christ.”

She expressed her feelings of pride for both her husband and sons, emphasizing how Quinn capably stepped into the family business, though his calling is in a different arena as an artist.

“This human experience has been a tremendous spiritual awakening,” Moody shared, addressing the community where her family has ushered others through life’s transitions for decades.

The Moodys carefully and lovingly transported the cherished goods of neighbors and friends and customers who would become friends — and walked them through times bad and good.

“We loved helping people — handling someone’s entire life in our trucks.”

Now, Dana Moody is actively looking for the right person to purchase the business, which has never had a claim against it in all this time.

For the future, with plans to grow a beautiful garden, the Moodys are steadily walking an unfamiliar path with grace and faith.

“We are ready to embrace the next chapter of our family journey and you are all a part of it. I feel so blessed to live among friends who truly understand what is important in this life. Thank you for trusting us with your belongings for 35 years and for your undying love, support and everlasting friendship. We’ll be seeing you around and we’re hoping for a hug!”