Rodman L. Dickie was born in Braintree, Massachusetts and lived for over 60 years in Arlington, Massachusetts before retiring with his wife Barbara to Wolfeboro, New Hampshire in 1986. While a resident of Arlington, a significant portion of his life was spent at sea as an officer on merchant freighters transporting cargos around the world. His deep faith in God earned him the nickname "Deacon." The miracles he witnessed during World War II and God's promise to him, “You shall never be on a ship sunk by enemy action,” prompted him to write Saved by a Series of Miracles.