Childhood
I was born in the small town of Fochville, South Africa, as the middle child of three, with an older brother and a younger sister.
My family moved often during my early years, which led to my attending six different primary schools before eventually settling into one high school. When I was eleven, we relocated to Cape Town, where I would spend the majority of my life.
At the age of fifteen, my parents divorced—an event that had a significant impact on me. I continued living with my mother until I turned nineteen, at which point I enlisted in the navy and began my career as an electronic warfare operator.
Married
During my years in the Navy, I met the woman who would become my wife. We were married for thirty‑three years and were blessed with three wonderful sons. After seventeen years of service, I chose to pursue my long‑held dream of becoming a software developer and transitioned into a career in information technology.
Our family spent four years living in the United Kingdom, where our youngest son was born. Upon returning to South Africa, I joined a software development company. Sixteen years later, I remain with the same organization and now serve as a senior software developer—truly living the career I once envisioned.
Five years after returning from the UK, our family experienced a devastating loss when my middle son died in a car accident. No parent can ever fully prepare for such a tragedy, nor should they ever have to endure it. Without God at the center of our lives, we would never have found the strength to navigate such profound grief.
Five years later, my mother passed away following a long and courageous battle with cancer. Another five years after that, my wife lost her own fight with the same illness. Those ten years were unquestionably the most challenging of my life. Yet even in the darkest moments, my Christian faith sustained me. In times of overwhelming sorrow, we are able to rest in the comfort, strength, and presence of our Lord.
“Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, and said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”
Job 1:20-21 KJV
Future
Today, nearly two years later, I am abundantly blessed beyond all expectations with the most wonderful woman a man could ever pray for. We are engaged to be married and, by the grace of God, strive to live a godly life that glorifies Him. I believe that the closer I draw to Him, the more He will bless our union. The future looks incredibly promising.
“And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.”
Job 42:10 KJV