Cheryl was born in Salem Oregon. Her family lived in the northern outskirts of the city. She attended grade school in one of those old-fashioned schoolhouses which, back then, had two grades in one room and had out houses for bathrooms. Every other year she was the only girl in her class.
Cheryl’s father was a lay-pastor of a small local church. Cheryl was especially close to her dad. When she was just a little girl he bought her an accordion for $300.00 along with lessons. The family was relatively poor, and in the early 1950s this was an enormous amount of money to spend on a little girl. Cheryl later learned that her dad had worked overtime for quite some time to be able to give her this accordion. She rewarded him by quickly becoming proficient at playing her accordion. This brought great happiness to her dad and made his sacrifice all worthwhile.
Cheryl was only 13 years old when her dad died. He was just 49. He didn’t get to see his little girl grow up or to see the ultimate fruit of the faith he had invested and sacrifice he had made for his beloved daughter.
Cheryl’s brother, Bob, is 7 years younger than she. Here are some of his reflections on his relationship with his older sister:
Cheryl and I met at a “Teen Challenge” gathering in Seattle where young people were meeting to go out on the streets to witness for our Lord Jesus Christ. I was on active duty in the Navy and was on shore duty at the Naval supply depot in Seattle at pier 91. Cheryl was one of the students from Northwest College that came for the Teen Challenge street outreach.
Cheryl didn’t have a car so she usually caught a ride with other Northwest College classmates who were going to the Teen Challenge gatherings. Cheryl often brought along the accordion that her father had given her and would take it out on the street and play it while we sang to gather a crowd. I thought to myself, “What dedication! That thing must be heavy for a girl to be lugging around”. I said to myself, “Maybe I should offer to carry it for her”, but I never did. Shame on me!
There were times when Cheryl and her friends would take the bus to the rally because no one from the campus with a car was going. This posed a problem when the meeting didn’t break up until after the busses to the east side had stopped running. I felt sorry for them, so I offered to drive her and her friends back to the college campus in Kirkland. This did two things, it gave Cheryl and her classmates, a sure way back to the campus and it gave us the opportunity to get better acquainted.
Later in the summer after many trips driving her and her classmates back to the campus, Cheryl and I started going together. When things between us started getting serious, I told her that I had a calling to the ministry and my burden was for the guys in the Navy. When my active duty was up I wanted to get the required schooling and ministry experience and then rejoin the Navy as a chaplain.
I told Cheryl about the educational journey ahead to prepare for the Chaplaincy. I tried, as best I could, to tell her what life might be like married to a Navy Chaplain. She said that she would take all that into consideration. After a few months she told me that she was okay with that idea and that she would be willing to help me through the schooling that the Navy chaplaincy required
With that settled, we got married. Cheryl went to work for a mortgage company, and I applied myself to my studies. Going back to school was a difficult thing for me but my Cheryl was a tremendous God sent gift to me through the challenging years of college and seminary. After 5 years at Northwest College we moved to Portland, Oregon where I studied at Western Seminary.
While finishing my seminary course, I was informed by the commission on chaplains, that because the Vietnam war was winding down the navy was no longer needing any new chaplains. This was a huge disappointment! The driving motivation for pursuing seminary training was the goal of a Navy Chaplaincy. But, God had something else in mind which made use of all my educational training.
At the conclusion of our time at Western Seminary the Lord opened up a door of ministry for us in the Dallas Texas area where a Bible college was being started in conjunction with the church. I was to be the youth pastor and teach several Bible classes. Cheryl would be the church secretary as well as secretary to the college president. In addition, she would serve as the College Registrar. She was perfectly suited for these responsibilities because, while at Northwest College, she had worked for Brother Millard in the registrar’s office and had become well acquainted with all the procedures and responsibilities of a registrar.
During our years in Texas the weight of our many challenging responsibilities put a lot of strain on Cheryl and me. I continued teaching at the college but also took on the pastorate of a small church in the area. By this time, in addition to her original duties she was also teaching English at the college and supporting me as the Pastor’s wife and church organist. It was during that time that Cheryl had her first heart attack which required us to make some adjustments.
Many years later, after we had helped to establish the Bible School in Dallas, the Lord moved us to the Atlanta, Georgia area to a church whose pastor was a friend of ours. Shortly after moving here, I was struck with a debilitating disease that rendered me legally blind. From this time, not only did Cheryl look after my needs but was forced to carry the financial burden of our family. During this time her health began to deteriorate as well. So, to earn extra money, she offered her services as a professional book and article editor. She soon gained a reputation for her excellence as an editor. After a while, authors began to seek her out because word had gotten around that Cheryl Tipon could take a bunch of disjointed notes and organize them into a well ordered train of thought that clearly enunciated the author’s ideas. “Edited by Cheryl E. Tipon” appears on the title page of many books as a tribute to her skill and excellence.
One evening, several weeks ago, not long before Cheryl passed on to be with the Lord, while we were having our nightly prayer time together, I said, “Honey, I love you. You are so precious to me. I know that you didn’t sign up to take care of a sick husband all these years but you have proven true to your wedding vows, especially the part that says, ‘in sickness and in health for richer or for poorer’. You stand out like a glowing gem, shining brightly as an example of a truly faithful wife.”
We were married for over 50 years and had one son, Kevin. We faced many trials and difficult situations and circumstances and were able to weather and overcome them all because of God’s grace and the love He had put in our hearts for each other. Cheryl never wrote a book, never preached a great sermon, never conducted a great Crusade or any other outstanding achievement that would cause her to be seen and recognized by man. But, my Cheryl was a true blue helpmate to me in life and ministry. I was so blessed to have my wife, helper, my God-given companion, with me those 50 years.
I have said my good bye to my sweetheart here on earth but I know, without doubt, that we will say hello again in heaven soon. I miss her terribly. Her course is now finished, and I must carry on without her, with great difficulty. I still hear her voice of caution whenever I tend to make a hasty decision.
Wait for me sweetheart, wait for me at the “portal of heaven”. I’ll be coming home just as soon as I finished my course here.
--- Art Tipon