Lee and Jean were born and raised in Iowa. They met in 1954 and were married in 1957. Both attended the Iowa State Teachers College (now the University of Northern Iowa) and graduated in 1962. Both accepted teaching jobs in Council Bluffs, IA where they lived until moving to Tennessee in 1974. Lee retired as an administrator in the Dean's office at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. Jean retired from the classroom in 1999. They have two children, two grandchildren and currently live in Hixson, TN with their two dogs, Sara Jessie, a yellow lab, Spikey, a rescued mixed breed, and a Snow Shoe Siamese cat, Shiloh.