In Memory of Evelyn Roberts     5/22/2005
By Anne F. Downey, Esq.

Her life is an example to American women.

A great American woman died on May 4, 2005. Evelyn Roberts, wife of evangelist Oral Roberts, passed away at the age of 88 after sustaining a head injury from a fall.

Mrs. Roberts embodied many of the virtues that Concerned Women for America holds dear. Her life provides us with an example of an American woman who dedicated herself to Biblical values.

Born April 22, 1917, in Warsaw, Missouri, Evelyn Fahnestock was one of eight children and the daughter of a preacher. Her family moved to Oklahoma, where she attended Northeastern State University. She also attended Texas College of Arts and Industries.

Evelyn met Oral during a camp meeting in Oklahoma before she moved to Texas to teach. Later that year she received a package containing a book authored by Oral. The two began to correspond and were married in Westville, Oklahoma, on Christmas Day 1938. At the time of Mrs. Roberts’ death, the couple had been married more than 66 years.

Down through the years, whenever Oral Roberts spoke publicly about his spouse, he referred to her playfully as “my darling wife, Evelyn.” The phrase became a trademark for the happy couple, bringing smiles to many audiences.

Evelyn played an important role in Oral Roberts’ ministry since its beginning in 1947. From the early days of tent meetings, to the launch of a television ministry and evangelistic organization and the founding of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa in 1963, Evelyn supported her husband in countless ways. Among other things, she helped answer the huge volume of mail from hurting people, she traveled around the world with her husband on many evangelistic missions, and she became a popular author and speaker in her own right.

Like Ruth Graham, wife of evangelist Billy Graham, Evelyn initially dreamed of a life of service on a mission field, but God had in mind a different kind of mission. Little did these Godly women know they would end up touching many lives.

Her life was not an easy one. In the 1940s a man at a crusade fired a gun at Oral Roberts, narrowly missing the evangelist. Evelyn also faced the death of several loved ones. Her oldest daughter, Rebecca Roberts Nash, and her husband were killed in an airplane crash. A son, Ronald Roberts, got involved with drugs in Vietnam and eventually took his own life. A grandson, Richard Oral Roberts, died in infancy. In the early 1990s, Oral Roberts had a heart attack and was unconscious for two weeks. Through it all, Evelyn faced each challenge with faith and took her sorrows to the Lord in prayer.

Many wonderful anecdotes illustrate the strength of Evelyn Roberts’ character. For example:

• When Oral and Evelyn Roberts went into a town to hold a crusade, Evelyn always brought a bag with little mementoes and Scripture verses so the couple could make their hotel room like a chapel, to welcome the presence of the Lord.
• At the memorial service held in Tulsa on May 9, 2005, Evelyn’s son, Richard, told a story about his birth in 1948. Evelyn’s first two children had been born exactly on their due dates. Richard was supposed to arrive on November 9, 1948, but Oral Roberts was out of town preaching at an evangelistic meeting. The pastor of the church asked Oral if he could stay a few days past November 9, so that hundreds more could give their lives to Christ. Oral telephoned his wife and the two of them agreed that they would ask God to delay the birth a few days. Oral was able to continue preaching, many lives were touched, and the evangelist returned home in time for the birth of Richard Roberts on November 12.
• When Richard was in his 20s, he went through a period when he had little interest in God. At the memorial service, in a voice choked with emotion, Richard recalled that he returned to faith after his mother fell on her face before God in prayer.
• Roberta Roberts, the youngest daughter of Oral and Evelyn, told the memorial service audience of the time when her father was hospitalized with heart problems. One night, after visiting the hospital, Roberta, Richard and Evelyn returned home very late. They were all exhausted and had not eaten dinner. Evelyn, in her 70s, insisted on preparing a meal for Richard and Roberta. They protested, but she would hear nothing of it. She always had a servant’s heart and was a great example of selflessness.
• About seven years ago, Evelyn suggested to Oral that each night before they go to bed, they should kiss each other seven times plus “two for the road,” and tell each other anything they would want to have said if one of them died. At the memorial service, Oral Roberts recounted that the night before Evelyn’s injury, she came over to his chair, took her seven kisses plus two, and said “I love you, honey.” He replied, “Evelyn, darling, I love you. Have a good night.”
• Evelyn Roberts was not afraid of death. Not long ago, she told her husband that she wanted to live to see her newest grandchild, and then she wanted to go home to be with Jesus.

God granted Evelyn Roberts her wish to go home. She is survived by her husband, two children, 13 grandchildren, several great-grandchildren, two sisters and two brothers. Following her wishes, memorial contributions can be made to a scholarship fund for ORU students, as detailed at www.oru.edu.

In conclusion, it is good to recall the words of Proverbs 31, verses 30-31: “Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates.”

Amen. Thank you, Evelyn Roberts, for the fine example you set for the women of America.

Anne Downey and her husband, Brian Downey, met while attending law school at Oral Roberts University. They practice law in New York state. Anne is a member of the Christian Legal Society, an Alliance Defense Fund "ally," and is volunteering her writing talent to CWA's Legal Studies Department.

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