Torrie and Curtis were from different states in the United States. He was born and raised in George during the Great Depression. She was born and raised in Alabama during World War II. While education was encouraged in Torrie's community, sharecropping was given top priority in the rural area of Georgia where Curtis grew up. He was forced to leave school before finishing the fifth grade to work in the fields. Both Curtis and Torrie looked long and hard for ways to escape their challenging beginnings in the Jim Crow South. He found his way to New Jersey and from there into the military. After graduating from high school, she, too, joined the army. This move made all the difference for both of them. Their paths met in the military as next-door neighbors in Japan. They would go on to a shared path of togetherness for over half a century. It has been said that it is not so much where one starts out in life but where he or she ends up that makes the difference. The difficult beginnings of these two individuals turned into a success story that needs to be told. Curtis overcame his education deficiency and earned three college degrees, including an electrical engineering degree from the University of California in Berkeley where he completed a successful thirty-seven-year career. He also completed a career in the United States Army Reserves as a command sergeant major. He then became a successful real estate salesperson. While all this was happening, Curtis and his wife, Torrie, made time to become real estate entrepreneurs. Torrie, too, earned three college degrees and completed a thirty-four-year career as an educator. She retired from her second career as a captain in the army reserves then went on to became a holistic wellness practitioner. Today, Torrie gives more of her time to activities related to the performing arts, which has always been her passion. One can see evidence of her love for acting shining through all that she does. Curtis and Torrie's paths did join, but they will tell you they succeeded on their journey together because they understood the importance of remaining true to their individual paths where they stayed true to each of their own life's purpose. In other words, they enjoyed a life of "togetherness, without standing too close."