Dede Robertson, born Adelia Elmer Robertson, was an American nurse, educator, writer, Christian leader, humanitarian, and longtime wife of televangelist and Christian Broadcasting Network founder Pat Robertson. Although many people know her mainly through her marriage to Pat Robertson, her life included much more than being the spouse of a prominent religious broadcaster. She earned university degrees, worked in nursing and education, served on major nonprofit boards, represented the United States in an international organization focused on women, wrote books, participated in humanitarian work, and helped shape several institutions associated with the Robertson family. Dede Robertson was born on December 3, 1927, and died on April 19, 2022, at age 94.
Quick Information About Dede Robertson
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Adelia “Dede” Elmer Robertson |
| Known as | Dede Robertson |
| Date of birth | December 3, 1927 |
| Birthplace | Columbus, Ohio, United States |
| Date of death | April 19, 2022 |
| Age at death | 94 years |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Ohio State University; Yale University School of Nursing |
| Profession | Nurse, educator, writer, nonprofit board member |
| Husband | Pat Robertson |
| Marriage | 1954–2022 |
| Children | Timothy, Elizabeth, Gordon, and Ann |
| Books | My God Will Supply and The New You |
| Known for | CBN involvement, nursing, Christian ministry, international public service |
The basic details above are supported mainly by official biographies and memorial material published by the Christian Broadcasting Network and Regent University.
Who Was Dede Robertson?
Dede Robertson was a woman whose professional and public life crossed several different areas. She received formal training in social administration and nursing before working in hospitals and later teaching nursing. At the same time, she became closely involved in the religious and charitable institutions created around her husband’s ministry. Official CBN material describes her as an important adviser and participant in the development of the Christian Broadcasting Network, rather than simply a public figure’s spouse. She also taught Bible studies, wrote about Christian life, traveled for humanitarian programs, and served on organizational boards. Her biography is therefore connected with education, healthcare, Christian media, nonprofit leadership, writing, and family life.
Dede Robertson’s Early Life and Childhood
Dede Robertson was born Adelia Elmer on December 3, 1927, in Columbus, Ohio. Her parents were Ralph P. Elmer and Florence B. Elmer, and she grew up with a brother named Ralph. According to CBN’s official biography, her father served as vice president of the Hanna Paint Manufacturing Company in Columbus. Dede attended public schools in Bexley, Ohio, before beginning higher education. Her upbringing came many years before television ministries and national public life became part of her story. The education she received during this period eventually led her toward social administration and nursing, two fields that would influence her professional work well before and after her marriage.
Education at Ohio State University
Dede Robertson attended Ohio Wesleyan University and later Ohio State University, where she completed a bachelor’s degree in Social Administration. During her younger years, she also worked as a fashion model and participated in the Miss Ohio State beauty contest, according to the official CBN biography. These details reveal a less familiar side of Dede Robertson’s early life. Long before she became associated with Christian broadcasting, she was building an education and exploring different professional opportunities. Her studies in social administration were also relevant to the public-service roles she later held. Rather than stopping her education after earning her bachelor’s degree, however, Robertson continued into advanced nursing study at Yale University.
Dede Robertson at Yale University School of Nursing
One of the most important steps in Dede Robertson’s education was attending the Yale University School of Nursing. She received a Master of Nursing degree, an achievement that gave her professional qualifications in healthcare and eventually led to both clinical and teaching work. Yale was also important for another reason: it was where she met Marion Gordon “Pat” Robertson, who was studying at Yale Law School. Their meeting developed into a relationship that would last for nearly seven decades. Official biographies from CBN and Regent University both confirm her Yale nursing education and the couple’s meeting while they were students there.
How Dede Robertson Met Pat Robertson
CBN’s biography tells a memorable story about the couple’s first meeting. According to Dede’s account, she was trying to avoid the attention of another law student at a social event when she moved toward a refreshment table. Her hair accidentally came close to candles and caught fire. Pat Robertson, who was nearby, helped extinguish the flames. Dede later humorously connected that event with the beginning of their romance. Although the anecdote became part of the Robertson family story, the important historical fact is that the two met while studying at Yale and married in 1954. Their marriage continued until Dede’s death in April 2022.
Dede Robertson and Pat Robertson’s Marriage
Dede Robertson and Pat Robertson were married in 1954 and remained together for approximately 67 years. Their marriage covered an extraordinary period of change in American media, religion, education, and politics. Pat Robertson eventually became widely known as the founder of CBN and host of The 700 Club, while Dede played substantial roles in family life and several organizations connected with his work. CBN later described their relationship as a genuine partnership and said Pat often sought Dede’s advice when considering ministry decisions. Dede died in 2022, about one year before Pat Robertson died in June 2023 at age 93.
Dede Robertson’s Children and Family
Dede and Pat Robertson had four children: Timothy Brian Robertson, Elizabeth Robertson Robinson, Gordon Perry Robertson, and Ann Robertson LeBlanc. CBN’s 2022 obituary reported that Dede was also survived by 14 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren at the time of her death. Later biographical material about Pat Robertson reported 24 great-grandchildren, reflecting the family’s continued growth after Dede’s death. Their son Gordon Robertson became especially prominent within the institutions founded by his parents; he later served in leadership at CBN and became chancellor of Regent University.
Nursing Career and Healthcare Work
Dede Robertson did not allow her professional nursing education to remain purely academic. Her official biography states that she worked at Boulevard Hospital in New York and later at Portsmouth General Hospital in Virginia. Her healthcare background was significant because it gave her a professional identity independent of her husband’s broadcasting career. Nursing also remained connected to some of her later humanitarian interests, including international medical missions. Her professional history shows that Dede Robertson’s public life included practical service as well as religious work. At a time when she was also raising a family, she continued to apply the advanced nursing education she had received at Yale.
Career as a Nursing Professor
Dede Robertson later moved from clinical nursing into education. She served as an assistant professor of nursing at Tidewater Community College in Virginia. Teaching allowed her to share the professional knowledge gained through her academic and hospital experience with future healthcare workers. This part of her biography is sometimes overshadowed by the Robertson family’s media activities, yet it remains an important element of her career. CBN’s biography and organizational profile both identify her nursing faculty position, reinforcing that Dede Robertson maintained professional interests beyond broadcasting and ministry. Her background as both practitioner and educator helped create a career that combined healthcare knowledge with teaching and public service.
Dede Robertson’s Role in the Christian Broadcasting Network
Dede Robertson was closely connected with The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) from its earliest years. CBN was formed in 1960, after Pat Robertson moved his family to the Tidewater region of Virginia and began developing a Christian television station. Dede became a founding member of CBN’s board of directors and remained involved in its development. Official accounts describe her as both an adviser to Pat and a participant in major ministry decisions. The network began broadcasting in 1961 and later expanded internationally. Dede’s contribution therefore took place during both the modest beginnings of CBN and its later development into a much larger religious media organization.
Her Work With Regent University and Operation Blessing
Dede Robertson also served as a founding board member of organizations including Regent University and Operation Blessing International Relief and Development Corporation, according to Regent University. She maintained connections with these institutions throughout her life. Her aesthetic influence was visible as well: CBN credits Dede with helping shape the Williamsburg-style interior design used in buildings at both CBN Center and Regent University. In 2022, Regent University officially named the Dede Robertson Student Center in her honor. The recognition reflected decades of involvement with the university and with the larger network of educational and charitable organizations connected to the Robertson family.
International Role Supporting Women’s Issues
In 1982, Dede Robertson received a significant public-service appointment when she became the principal United States delegate to the Inter-American Commission of Women. Regent University states that she represented the United States from 1982 through 1990. The commission operates within the inter-American system and addresses matters related to women’s rights and status across the Americas. In this position, Robertson attended official meetings and participated in international discussions concerning women in Latin America and other member countries. Her service in the role lasted several years and represented one of the most internationally focused parts of her career outside Christian broadcasting and nonprofit organizations.
Dede Robertson as an Author
Dede Robertson was also a writer. She authored two books, My God Will Supply and The New You. In addition, she wrote a recurring column titled “All in a Woman’s Day” for Christian Life magazine. Her writing reflected the Christian beliefs that played a central role in her adult life and public activities. While Pat Robertson produced numerous religious and political books during his career, Dede developed a smaller but distinct body of work focused on faith and everyday living. Her authorship adds another dimension to a biography that already included nursing, teaching, nonprofit leadership, family responsibilities, and international service.
Faith and Bible Teaching
Christian faith became a particularly important part of Dede Robertson’s life. Her official biography says she was baptized in Long Island Sound in 1959 and described the experience as spiritually transformative. She later became involved in Bible teaching, including lessons for younger people and women’s Bible-study groups. CBN’s description of her life emphasizes that she was a long-term student of Scripture and frequently supported the religious ministry being developed by her husband. Because the source comes from the Christian organization with which Robertson was directly associated, descriptions of the spiritual meaning of these experiences should be understood as Robertson’s own faith perspective and the organization’s account of her beliefs.
Humanitarian Travel and Medical Missions
Dede Robertson traveled internationally through work connected with CBN, Operation Blessing International, and medical missions involving the Flying Hospital. Regent University notes that she traveled extensively for these ministries and humanitarian projects. Her nursing background made healthcare-oriented charitable work particularly consistent with her earlier professional experience. These trips also demonstrate that her responsibilities were not confined to offices, board meetings, or television-related activities in Virginia. International humanitarian engagement became another way in which her medical training, Christian beliefs, and nonprofit involvement came together during later periods of her life.
Dede Robertson and Pat Robertson’s Presidential Campaign
In 1987 and 1988, Dede Robertson actively supported Pat Robertson during his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. Regent University reports that she traveled to 52 American cities on his behalf during the campaign. Pat Robertson ultimately did not become the Republican nominee, but the campaign increased the family’s involvement in national political life during that period. Dede’s participation is a documented part of her biography, though it represented only one chapter of a career that was more broadly centered on nursing, religious institutions, charitable organizations, family life, writing, and international public service.
Awards and Recognition
Dede Robertson received several forms of recognition during her life. Regent University states that she was selected Christian Woman of the Year in 1986. Her later recognition also came through institutional tributes connected with the organizations she had helped support. Most notably, Regent University’s student center was named for her after her death. Such honors reflected the importance that CBN and Regent placed on her contributions to their development. Although Pat Robertson remained the more publicly recognizable member of the couple, official histories of these organizations consistently describe Dede as an adviser, board member, supporter, teacher, writer, and participant in their long-term work.
What Was Dede Robertson’s Net Worth?
Reliable primary sources do not provide a verified individual net-worth figure for Dede Robertson. Many celebrity-biography websites may present estimates, but such figures often lack supporting financial documentation. For that reason, giving a specific dollar amount as fact would be misleading. Dede’s public biography is much better documented in areas such as her education, nursing career, board service, books, international appointment, marriage, and humanitarian activity. Readers researching her finances should distinguish documented assets or financial disclosures from unsourced internet estimates. No credible primary source reviewed for this biography provides enough evidence to establish her personal net worth with confidence.
Dede Robertson’s Death at Age 94
Dede Robertson died on April 19, 2022, at her home in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She was 94 years old. Her death was announced by CBN, which published an obituary and hosted a memorial service celebrating her life. She was survived at the time by Pat Robertson, their four children, 14 grandchildren, and 23 great-grandchildren. Pat Robertson lived for a little more than another year and died on June 8, 2023. CBN’s later biography of Pat described Dede as his partner of 67 years and an important source of support throughout the development of his ministries and organizations.
Dede Robertson’s Legacy
Dede Robertson’s legacy reaches beyond her familiar description as Pat Robertson’s wife. She earned advanced nursing credentials, worked in healthcare, taught nursing, wrote books and magazine columns, participated in Bible education, served on major nonprofit boards, represented the United States internationally, and joined humanitarian missions. Her life also became deeply connected with organizations including CBN, Regent University, and Operation Blessing. For people researching Dede Robertson today, her biography illustrates how professional work, family responsibilities, religious commitment, education, and public service overlapped throughout nearly a century of American life. Regent University’s decision to name a student center after her provides a continuing institutional reminder of that involvement.
Conclusion
Dede Robertson lived from 1927 to 2022, experiencing a life that moved from Ohio classrooms to Yale University, hospitals, college teaching, international public service, Christian broadcasting, charitable organizations, and a large family. She was married to Pat Robertson for 67 years and participated extensively in the institutions that became associated with his ministry. Yet her own education and career deserve equal attention when explaining who she was. Her achievements included a master’s degree in nursing, work as a nurse and professor, authorship, service on nonprofit boards, and nearly a decade representing the United States through the Inter-American Commission of Women. Her documented story is therefore broader and more varied than the single label of a famous religious leader’s spouse.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dede Robertson
Who was Dede Robertson?
Dede Robertson was an American nurse, educator, author, Christian leader, nonprofit board member, and public-service representative. She was also the wife of CBN founder Pat Robertson.
What was Dede Robertson’s real name?
Her full name was Adelia Elmer Robertson. She was widely known by the nickname Dede Robertson.
When was Dede Robertson born?
Dede Robertson was born on December 3, 1927, in Columbus, Ohio.
When did Dede Robertson die?
She died on April 19, 2022, at her home in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She was 94 years old.
How long were Dede and Pat Robertson married?
Dede and Pat Robertson married in 1954 and remained married until her death in 2022, a marriage of approximately 67 years.
How many children did Dede Robertson have?
She and Pat Robertson had four children: Timothy, Elizabeth, Gordon, and Ann.
What books did Dede Robertson write?
She wrote My God Will Supply and The New You and also contributed the column “All in a Woman’s Day” to Christian Life magazine.
