Jonathan and Heidi Royle were among the earliest graduates following the institution’s transition from St. Paul Bible College to Crown College. They came to the College in 1990 and left with diplomas in 1994. Passionate about higher education, Jonathan graduated with a degree in elementary education and Heidi with an associate degree in early child education. Jonathan later earned his master’s degree in educational administration from Texas A&M University after the Royles moved to Dallas, Texas in 1997, and received his Ed.D. in 2013. They have lived in Texas ever since, raising four children, and continuing to invest in their community.
Heidi grew up near St. Bonifacius, so she attended classes and played volleyball for a year. She then left for a year to go to another school for nursing, but she felt unsettled there and called her old Crown volleyball coach Candace Moats (1984). Candace prayed for and counseled her over the phone. Heidi felt peace through her guidance and returned to Crown, where she continued her athletics and strengthened connections with her team, friends, and the school. Jonathan grew up in Burkina Faso, West Africa, as a missionary kid in The Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA). He moved to the U.S. after boarding school in 1988, then made his way to Crown College in 1990 after spending time in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New York.
Some of their favorite classes were Methods of Bible Study with Diana Stimmel, where they were taught to think critically and dive deeply into Scripture. Another favorite course was History of Western Civilizations with Dr. Joe Tewinkel (1957), who Jonathan considered an engaging and impactful storyteller. Jonathan was also discipled by Jack Stimmel (Diana’s husband) and was impacted by Crown’s choir director, Dr. David Donelson. As one of Dr. Donelson’s first students to audition, Jonathan was part of a small ensemble in choir called “Celebration,” which toured the U.S. from camp to camp all summer long. Heidi traveled with Crown as well, as part of the volleyball team. The team would take van trips to away games in Iowa, Florida, and California, and Heidi loved those opportunities to bond with her teammates.
The two had met briefly during their first year in 1990 but didn’t start dating until October of 1993, after Heidi returned to Crown. At the time, their roommates were dating, so they set up Jonathan and Heidi on a double date. The four of them went to a dollar movie theater and walked on the beach. Two weeks later, Jonathan and Heidi went on their second date: moonlight bowling. They bowled into the night and received quarters when they got a strike or spare. As they prepared to leave, Jonathan went to put on his shoes, only to find that Heidi had filled them with quarters she had won. “The rest was history,” Jonathan says, “I felt free to be myself, which I had never felt in my whole life.” They got engaged the following October and were married in March of 1995, with their wedding co-officiated by both his dad and her pastor.
After graduation, it was difficult to find work in the education field without having previous experience, so in 1997, the Royles moved to Dallas, Texas. Their first child was born in 1996 right before the move, and the three others followed in ’98, ’01, and ’05. Along with their children, Jonathan and Heidi became involved in band, dedicating many weekends for over 12
years to band travel. Reminiscing on memories of their children, Jonathan said “They’re amazing, and they each have their own strengths … family is very important to us.”
Heidi is currently a teacher at Lake Ridge Academy, and Jonathan has been principal of JC Austin Elementary School in Mesquite, Texas for the past 18 years. Having been married for 30 years, the Royles are reaching a point in their lives when they can slow down from the busyness of parenting life. In the last few years, they have celebrated the births of two grandchildren, who live nearby and can visit often. They also bought a camper that they’ve taken out for a few weekend getaways. The Royles recently made the journey up to Minnesota for Crown’s 2025 Homecoming get-together, where they reconnected with old friends and heard new stories.
Jonathan and Heidi have had a lot of mountains and valleys, but they said that God was alongside them every step of the way. “God wants us to be dependent on Him and His promise to always be with us and to care for us, even when we are not faithful,” Heidi said. Jonathan adds, from Hebrews 13:5, “He will never leave you or forsake you.” With that promise from God, Jonathan encourages others by saying, “There is no problem He can’t get you through. If you don’t put your first foot forward, you won’t make any progress, but if He can do it, so can you.
In the words of Lynda Randle,
‘There is no problem too big God cannot solve it…
if He carried the weight of the world upon His shoulders
I know, my brother, that He will carry you’”
(from song “He Will Carry You”, 2006).
