He is a lifelong resident of DeKalb County in NE Indiana and has been a Christian for nearly fifty years, serving at various times, as church elder, Sunday School teacher and small group Bible studies leader. He also led a mission team to New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. He survived a near fatal fall at age 19, critically injured with a multiple skull fracture and blood clot on the brain as well as experiencing temporary paralysis and coma. He also survived a near fatal car accident two years later and is a two-time heart attack survivor, once in 2003 and most recently, in 2016, a very severe one in which he could have died. His near death experiences have enabled him to appreciate every day as a gift from God. These experiences have also given him a unique perspective on current social, political, spiritual and cultural issues. He has been blessed with a Christian wife, Mary, and their two sons, Jon and David, and their families, resulting in six grandchildren.