Peter Van Sant

Gary practiced commercial real estate law and quickly climbed the ladder at his firm.

Melody said Gary was smart.

When Gary opened the firm's office in Atlanta, Melody was a full-time mom.

She took charge of the home and the kids and made sure their upbringing was special, especially during the holidays.

I understand you're a big Christmas decorator.

One home video shows a Ferris family Christmas that could be a scene from a Hallmark movie.

There's a tall Christmas tree covered in ornaments overlooking a happy family ripping open their gifts.

Gary was the provider and patriarch of it all, and he was a big presence.

The people closest to him even called him Big Daddy.

The nickname made sense.

After all, he was about 6'4 and nearly 300 pounds.

Gary had gray hair, a goatee, and this deep, gregarious voice with a southern drawl.

Scott talked about his father to investigators in 2018.

The family revolved around Gary, both as their father and financier, the central axle, if you will, in this Ferris wheel.

While Gary controlled the money, that didn't mean he was holding back dollars from his children.

Take oldest son, Chris.

He was married to his second wife and had kids from his first marriage.

But Melody said Gary helped him out.

Melody said their daughter, Emily, who was married and living in Tennessee, also counted on her dad for help.

Same goes for Scott.