Picture of the day - January 1, 2007

Uncle Jerry Dolinger

When I was just a young boy my mom started taking me to Pleasant View Baptist Church in Widener Valley, Virginia, and it didn't take long for me to learn the names and faces of most of the members of the congregation. Of course there was Herman Widener, the wonderful song leader (who I initially thought was the preacher) as well as the amazing Aunt Edith. Actually, there were many great men and women of God who attended Pleasant View and ended up having a tremendous influence on my life. One of them was Mr. Jerry Dolinger. Whenever the choir went up to sing praises to the Lord, Jerry would quietly take his place on the back row and sing tenor on "The Old Rugged Cross", "Amazing Grace" or whichever beautiful old hymns that Herman had selected for the day. It was easy to tell when he was in the choir because Jerry Dolinger was a mountain of a man whose head would always be sticking up quite a bit higher than whoever happened to be in front of him. Back then the only thing I really knew about Jerry was what I had heard other people say about him, and everything I heard led me to believe that he was a fine and decent Christian man - and time would prove that to indeed be the case. As I was growing up in the church and the community, I had many opportunities to learn first-hand just what type of man Jerry Dolinger was. First of all, he loved his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. When Jerry sang in the choir, he didn't do it for personal recognition or to make a name for himself. He did it because he loved God and he wanted to honor Him. There was nothing fake about Jerry - what you saw was what you got, and when you looked at him you saw a simple man who never lost his boyish mischievousness or his deep love for his family, friends and beloved Saviour. Jerry Dolinger was indeed a mountain of a man, not just in stature but in character as well. I learned a lot about Jerry over the years, but I never really got to know him until I married Cheria and became "adopted" into the wonderful Cook Family. That's when I first had the opportunity to see Jerry and Eleanor (his wonderful wife of 50 years) in their home on a regular basis. Of course Jerry was actually Cheria's "double" uncle because in addition to being her Aunt Eleanor's husband, he was also her dad Wade's brother. And since Cheria practically lived at their house when she was growing up, Eleanor and Jerry seem more like a mom and dad to her than an aunt and uncle. Unfortunately, Jerry's health began a never-ending downhill slide several years ago and he ended up having to spend most of his time either sitting in a chair or lying down. He did have a very nice electric "scooter" that gave him quite a bit of mobility, but he found himself no longer able to hunt, fish or tend his garden - and if you knew Jerry at all you know just how much he loved working and "playing" outdoors! In the years since Cheria and I got together I came to know and love these two fine people just as much as I love any of my "blood" relatives, and now they are my Aunt Eleanor and Uncle Jerry just as much as Cheria's. I feel honored and blessed to have been so warmly welcomed into their family, and I will forever be grateful for the love and respect they have given me and for the fine job they did helping raise my precious Cheria. Their lives and love are truly gifts from God to the world. With his beloved twin brother Ikey at his side, Uncle Jerry finally lost his long battle with health problems at approximately 10:30 this morning, but he gained so much more than he lost. You see, when he took that last gasping breath of his earthly life, he immediately found himself standing on two brand new legs in the presence of God, most likely singing tenor alongside Herman Widener and Uncle Doug Cook as they sing eternal praises to Him. 50 years ago, the Lord gave Jerry Dolinger one of the most loving wives on the planet in young Eleanor Cook, and she faithfully took care of him to the very end. Only God Himself knows just how hard it must have been for Aunt Eleanor to give Jerry the care he so desperately needed, but she did it with dignity, grace and an undying love for the man who had taken her hand in marriage so long ago. And if she had to do it all over again, she would do so without a moment's hesitation because she took very seriously her vow of "till death to us part" - and she never lost the twinkle in her eye or the deep love in her heart for her Jerry. To say the last few miles of Jerry's journey were difficult for him would be quite an understatement, but I'm sure if you could ask him now he would most assuredly say his destination was definitely worth the trip. Last night I held Jerry's hand and promised him that he would be going home today, and he did. And if you know Jesus as your personal Saviour, you can visit him someday in his new heavenly home.   In loving memory of Jeremiah Dolinger August 11, 1931 - January 1, 2007   Submit a photo of your own! Picture of the day archives