Who was Dede Robertson? Pat Robertson's wife and founding CBN member dies aged 94

Pat Robertson’s wife Dede Robertson passed away on April 19 at her home in Virginia Beach at the age of 94. She was a founding board member of the Christian Broadcasting Network.

The cause of death was not revealed. Her son, the President and CEO of CBN, Gordon Robertson, 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.”

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Everything known about Dede Robertson

Dede Robertson was a founding member of CBN’s board of directors, founded in 1960. She was the artful eye behind the Williamsburg-style interior design of the buildings at the CBN Center and Regent University.

The Columbus native graduated from the Yale University School of Nursing. She met Pat Robertson at Yale University and the pair tied the knot in 1954.

She was an assistant professor of nursing at Tidewater Community College in Portsmouth, Virginia. She was appointed as the principal United States delegate to the Inter-American Commission of Women in 1982. She then represented the United States at all IACW meetings, including the General Assembly.

Dede was a writer and wrote two books, My God Will Supply and The New You. She also wrote a former monthly column for Christian Life, All in a Woman’s Day.

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Dede Robertson’s personal life

Dede Robertson and Pat Robertson got married in 1954 (Image via ToddHalterman/Twitter)

Dede Robertson was born to middle-class Catholic Republicans. Her future husband was the son of a Southern Baptist Democratic U.S. Senator. They eloped since they knew that their family would never approve of their relationship.

Pat was interested in politics until he found religion. Dede was shocked when he poured out their liquor, tore a n**e print off the wall, and declared that he found the Lord.

They shifted to the commune in Bedford-Stuyvesant after Pat said God had told him to sell all his possessions and minister to the poor. Dede stated that she was tempted to go back to Ohio but realized it was not what the Lord would have her do and she promised to stay.

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About the CBC Network

The network's origins started when Pat heard God tell him to buy a small TV station in Portsmouth, Virginia. This went on to become the global religious broadcasting network, CBC. He ran the network’s flagship program, the 700 Club, for five decades before stepping down last fall.

Dede wrote in her autobiography that Pat refused to help around the house. In an interview, she said that her attitude changed when she became a born-again Christian at a church service.

She said that women should not work outside their homes when their kids are young. She looked after her kids and worked as a nursing professor after they went to school. Pat said in a statement that his wife was a woman of great faith, a champion of the gospel, and a remarkable servant of Christ who left an indelible print on all that she set her hand to during her extraordinary life.