Born in Flint, Michigan, at the Hurley Medical Center, and raised in Oscoda Township, Michigan (along the banks of the Au Sable River, within walking distance of Loud Dam, in that part of the township within the Glennie, Michigan, ZIP code and the Hale, Michigan, telephone exchange).
After graduating from Oscoda High School, I served in the United States Navy as a Machinist's Mate for 20 years, 4 months, and 28 days (of which 13 years, 3 months, and 8 days were served on sea duty, and 4 years, 10 months, and 8 days were served on shore duty -- the balance being either leave-in-transit or schools in between duty stations). In order, I was stationed onboard:
- Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois, for Recruit Training and Naval Engineering School
- USS Simon Lake (AS-33), homeported at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia
- USS Julius A. Furer (FFG-6), homeported at Naval Station Charleston, South Carolina. I transferred off immediately following her overhaul at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, but before she was decommissioned and sold to Pakistan.
- USS Hunley (AS-31), homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia
- Naval Air Station Key West, Florida. While stationed here, I completed an Associate Degree in Computer Programming and Applications at Florida Keys Community College
- USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67), homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Florida. I met the ship while she was completing overhaul and refit at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.
- Armed Forces Reserve Center in South Bend, Indiana
After honorably discharging from the Navy (with concurrent transfer to the Fleet Reserve pending official retirement), I enrolled at Davenport University, which at that time had a regional campus in Granger, Indiana. Due to my Associate Degree and military experience, I transferred in as a junior, graduating three years later (as a fifth-year senior) with two Baccalaureate Degrees (a B.B.A. in "Business Professional Studies" and a B.A.S. in "Computer Networking"). During this time, I lived in Mishawaka, Indiana.
After graduating college, and due to family considerations, I relocated to Cadillac, Michigan. Later, due to employment considerations, I relocated to Grand Rapids, Michigan, ultimately settling in Kentwood, Michigan.
I am active in local chapters of three veterans' service organizations (the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Fleet Reserve Association, and the Disabled American Veterans). I am a member of a church within the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, and a delegate-elected member of the Executive Committee of the Kent County GOP.