A native of Superior, Wisc., and the eldest of the five children of the late Stanley and Jean (Running) Cerys, he was born on Nov. 18, 1959. His younger siblings are Stephen, Thomas, Catherine, and Nancy (Cerys) Kauti.

He is an alumnus of Cathedral School, which he attended for both elementary and middle school, prior to Superior Senior High School. Following the often heard advice "go west," he is an alumnus of Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., from which he received a bachelor of science degree in 1982 and a master of science degree in 1983.

He is married to Phyllis (Diaz) Cerys and they live in Melrose; they are members of St. Mary of the Annunciation Parish there.

He has been active in his Melrose parish, serving in various ministries, including lector, marriage and baptismal preparation, assisting at funerals, and marriages. He has also been involved in hospital ministry at Melrose-Wakefield Hospital and in pastoral outreach at My Brother's Keeper, Easton, and My Brother's Table, Lynn.

He is presently employed at Dynamic Object Language Labs in Lexington, researching artificial intelligence, cyber security, and team behaviors.