About the Author

Bert and Darlene’s niece, Dinah Jordan grew up in southern Illinois, admiring her aunt and uncle, who lived in Dallas, and their ability to overcome their physical disabilities caused by polio.

Like her uncle Bert, Dinah enjoyed playing the piano and writing for her high school student newspaper as a youth. As an adult, she still enjoys writing and playing the piano. Her other hobbies include rooting for the Dallas Cowboys, reading, photography, SCUBA diving, sewing, attending Renaissance fairs, and listening to a variety of music styles.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Oklahoma Baptist University, Dinah and her husband moved to Central Florida. She currently writes training materials for a major Central Florida employer.

For decades, Dinah had wanted to write her uncle and aunt’s stories, and they had provided her and others in their family with written and video accounts of their lives. Being furloughed for four months because of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 gave Dinah the opportunity to weave their stories together as a tribute to the couple that had long inspired her.

While this is Dinah’s first published book as the author, she comes from a family of published authors. She helped edit books written and published by her father and her sister.

Dale L Rowley, Dinah’s father, wrote two of the books used as resources for this book: Cherry Blossoms: Memories of Reverend Bert I Cherry (1995), and Ecclesiastes: Down to Earth: Daily Devotionals for Growing Christians (2003). He also authored The Christian Lifestyle: Paul’s Letter to the Philippians (2011), as well as a guide for church pastoral search committees. His writings have been published in several faith-based magazines.

Debbie Lawson, Dinah’s sister, authored Playpen Theology: Bits of Humor and Inspiration from My Life as a Mother. Serving as primary editor for her sister’s book was Dinah’s proudest personal accomplishment until writing this tribute to her aunt and uncle. Debbie published Playpen Theology in 2002, just two years before her sudden death in a car accident at the age of 50.