John Gary is a semiretired businessman who overcame the challenges of growing up poor in a community rife with civil and economic unrest. With few in his life to guide his decisions and mold his character, he found his soul mate and his own compass and navigated his life with an innate sense of right and wrong. His self-developed values, love of his wife and his family, and inner voice led him from poverty to the realization of the blessed life he imagined as a child.