It's been 13 months since the Rev. Dr. Jerry Falwell passed away. In Jerry Falwell: His Life and Legacy, his widow, Macel, shares stories about their 49 years of marriage and three children.
Jerry Falwell, the founder of the Moral Majority and Liberty University and pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church for 51 years, died May 15, 2007. He was 73.
Dr. James Dobson, who has endorsed the new book, said at the time of Falwell's death that, "Jerry’s passions and convictions changed the course of our country for the better over the last 20 years — and I was proud to call him my friend.
“It was Jerry who led an entire wing of Christianity … away from isolation and into a direct confrontation with culture. It was my honor to share the front lines with him in the battle for righteousness in our nation. We will continue that fight, in his honor, until our mutual goals are achieved."
Macel Falwell shared some of their story with CitizenLink and requested prayer as she tries to get used to living without her partner of a half-century.
1. What is your husband’s legacy?
Accomplishing as much as the Lord let him accomplish, with having the school and the church and the college and law school.
2. How did you and your husband meet?
Jerry was with a gang of boys, one of them said something about a church and one of the guys spoke up and said, “Well, I know a church that has a lot of good-looking girls.” Jerry and his friend came to our church. It was really filled that night, so the only place they had seats were on the front row. (Jerry) pointed to my friend and said, “I’ll take her.” And his friend, Jim, pointed to me and said, “I’ll take her.” Well, it ended up the opposite way. And so we met that night. I was engaged at the time, but he didn’t let that hinder him at all. He just started trying to get a date, and finally we started dating. (The other couple also got married.)
3. What was it like being Jerry’s wife for 49 years? What’s your favorite memory?
He was such a great father and husband. Anything that any of us said we’d like to do, he’d say, “Oh, when do you want to leave?” He was just so good to the children.
He took them on their birthdays anywhere they wanted to go. They knew they came first in his life after God. The secretary was supposed to mark the birthdays; Jerry wanted to spend the day with the kids. (With) Jonathan, they realized they hadn’t marked that off, and Jerry had to go somewhere to speak. So Jerry took Jonathan aside and said, “Now, Jonathan, I’m supposed to speak in a certain town. I’ll do one of two things. I will stay with you, or I will go to the speaking engagement, and if they give me an honorarium, it’ll be yours. You can have every bit of it." Jonathan thought a few minutes (and) said, “Well, Dad, I’d rather have you.” So, Jerry called and got somebody to replace him.
The same thing happened with Jeannie one time, and he had to go to the White House. He told Jeannie to tell him what she wanted. And so he just said (to the White House), “I can’t come.”
He never brought any of his problems home to us; everything was just perfect. Every night, he’d go to each child’s room to pray with them even if they weren’t awake. He just was a wonderful father.
4. What was the most difficult part about being in the limelight, especially when the media did so much to denigrate your husband?
I never was in the limelight. I never liked to speak in public or anything like that; that was not my thing.
I didn’t let (the criticism) bother me. Jerry would say, “Don’t pay any attention to anything. Everything’s OK.” So I really never did. He shielded me from all of that.
I thought with the book, I could share my memories and let people see he really was a man of great love and compassion.
5. You and Jerry have certainly demonstrated that God can use ordinary people. What encouragement would you give to our readers?
Jerry loved people so much, and nothing bothered him. He invited a young man to come to church and he said, “I don’t have any shoes.” And Jerry says, “Well, what size do you wear?” He says, “I wear 11 and a half.” And Jerry says, “That’s exactly what I wear.” He took his shoes off and gave them to the young man and came home with just socks on. And he would do things like that because he loved people, and he wanted help everybody he was around.
Everybody knew they were loved because Jerry would show them and he’d give everything away. I got him an expensive overcoat, and he wore it twice. It was really cold outside and I said, “Jerry, where is your coat? I know. You gave it away, right?” And he had, and that’s the way he felt about people. If he had money in his pocket and he’d see anybody he thought needed it, he’d pass it to them.
If I let him do it, I guess we’d probably have nothing 'cause he’d give it all away.
