Adelia “Dede” Robertson, the wife of televangelist Pat Robertson and a founding board member of the Christian Broadcasting Network, died in her Virginia Beach home on Tuesday. She was 94 years old at the time.
Dede Robertson, Wife of Televangelist Pat Robertson, Dead at 94: ‘A Woman of Great Faith’ https://t.co/f075wVrW4w
— People (@people) April 20, 2022
Dede Robertson passed away on April 19 at the couple’s Virginia Beach, VA, home. She is survived by her husband of nearly 70 years, M.G. “Pat” Robertson, as well as 4 children, 14 grandchildren, and 23 great-grandchildren.
The network announced her death in an obituary posted on its website. Pat Robertson said in the obituary:
“Dede Robertson was a woman of great faith, a champion of the Gospel, and a remarkable servant of Christ who has left an indelible print on all that she set her hand to during her extraordinary life.”
However, a cause of death was not provided.
According to the obituary, Robertson received a master’s degree in nursing from the Yale University School of Nursing. Pat Robertson first met her at Yale. She also worked as a fashion model and was a Miss Ohio State contestant.
In the obituary, Robertson was named Christian Woman of the Year in 1986. She wrote two books, “My God Will Supply You” and “The New You,” the network said.
“In 1982, she was appointed as the principal U.S. delegate to the Inter-American Commission of Women, where she represented the United States from 1982 to 1990,” her obituary says. “In that capacity, she played a key role in elevating the status of the women who lived in Latin America. Dede was selected Christian Woman of the Year in 1986.”
Gordon Robertson, one of the couple’s sons. He has taken over hosting duties of The 700 Club since Pat stepped down in 2021, and is also the president and CEO of CBN.
Gordon said, “Mom was the glue that held the Robertson family together. She was always working behind the scenes. If it weren’t for Mom, there wouldn’t be a CBN.”
Pat Robertson has often come under fire for statements he’s made while hosting the show, including for his views on other religions, faith healing, and natural disasters being the result of God punishing places for sin.
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