Beverly LaHaye, Founder of Concerned Women of America, Dies at 94

(AP)

Beverly Jean LaHaye, the founder of Concerned Women for America, died Sunday, the organization announced. She was 94.

Raised in an evangelical household, LaHaye attended Bob Jones University, where she met ministerial student Tim LaHaye, a veteran of World War II. They would go on to have four children, according to her obituary.

LaHaye decided to commit all aspects of her life to Jesus and began hosting seminars and speaking at women’s ministry events. Everything changed in 1978 when she saw Barbara Walters interview Betty Friedan, the founder of the National Organization for Women, her obituary reads.

LaHaye believed Friedan’s goal was to undermine the American family and fought back by forming the Concerned Women for America in San Diego, turning it into a national organization within two years, according to her obituary.

After moving the CWA’s headquarters to Washington, D.C., in 1985, LaHaye became a major power player, testifying at the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas and nominee Robert Bork. She also led the opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment, her obituary reads.

She spoke out on behalf of support for Israel, the life of the unborn, the protection of marriage, and gay rights. She also assisted displaced refugees in Nicaragua, providing aid at refugee stations in Costa Rica, according to her obituary.

For her achievements, LaHaye was honored as Christian Woman of the Year, the Southern Baptist Convention’s “Religious Freedom Award,” and was honored by the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994, her obituary reads.

In 2016, she was recognized by the Faith and Freedom Coalition with the “Winston Churchill Lifetime Achievement Award.” In 2023 La Haye was named one of the 50 greatest pro-life leaders in the past 50 years, according to her obituary.

LaHaye retired as president of the CWA in 2006 and as chair of the board in 2020, her obituary reads.

She is survived by three children, nine grandchildren, and 20 great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by Tim, her husband of 69 years, and her son Lee, according to her obituary.