Cheryl Denise grew up in Elmira, Ontario. She went to the red brick Mennonite church next to the white clapboard Old Order Meetinghouse. In winter she along with neighbor kids skated on the ice of flooded backyards and made snow forts, and the rest of the year she played hide-and-seek for hours. At fourteen she started working after school at the Elmira Nursing Home. After graduating from nursing school, she worked three years as a volunteer public health nurse in La Jara, CO. She fell for her future husband while helping to make suppers at the Homeless Shelter where he was volunteering. They moved to Philippi, WV and became leaders for the Mennonite Service Adventure program for three years, living with teens and instilling values of community service. Now they live in the intentional community of Shepherds Field in a timber framed home they built themselves. Cheryl works as a nurse with seniors and disabled persons. She enjoys biking, hiking and cross-country skiing with Mike and their good dog, Birkie.