Marilynn Blackaby, 83, died Thursday (Sept. 29) after a short battle with liver cancer.
“Over the last few days, we as her family have wept at our impending loss but also laughed much as we recalled so many amazing, cherished memories of our dear mother,” Blackaby Ministries International posted on its Facebook page. “She raised five children, all of whom, love and serve her Lord. She adored her 14 grandchildren, and everyone loved her dearly in return. Pray for our dad, Henry, as today is the first day in over 62 years he will face without his devoted wife at his side.”
The family announced the diagnosis in August and requested prayer for Marilynn and the family.
The Blackabys served in several churches in California before relocating to Saskatchewan, Canada, to lead a congregation that had dwindled to only 10 members. During their 18 years in Canada, they saw God work in miraculous ways, helped plant numerous churches, and reared their five children.
Spiritual legacy
The book “Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God,” by Henry Blackaby, published in 1990, sold millions of copies, has been translated into more than 45 languages and has been adapted into multiple studies and formats. It was rereleased earlier this year with added videos to aid in Bible study.
In 2016, Gateway Seminary named a prayer room in honor of the Blackabys. Henry Blackaby graduated from Gateway — then Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary — as a member of the first graduating class at the seminary’s former Mill Valley campus.
During the dedication ceremony for the Henry and Marilynn Blackaby Prayer Room, Gateway Seminary President Jeff Iorg said the couple had made a “profound impact all around the world.”
All five of the Blackaby children serve in full-time ministry: Richard Blackaby, president of Atlanta-based Blackaby Ministries International; Thomas Blackaby, pastor of Maple Ridge Alliance Church in Maple Ridge, BC, Canada; Melvin Blackaby, pastor of First Baptist Church Jonesboro, Georgia; Norman Blackaby, a professor at East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, Texas; and Carrie Blackaby Webb, a former career missionary to Germany who now serves with Blackaby Ministries International.
The funeral will be at First Baptist Church Jonesboro, Georgia, on Sun., Oct. 9.
