Ruth Carter Stapleton (''

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

'' Carter; August 7, 1929 – September 26, 1983) was an American Christian evangelist. She was the younger sister of United States President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

and Rosalynn Carter’s best friend.

Early life and family

Ruth Carter Stapleton was born on August 7, 1929, in

Plains, Georgia Plains is a city in Sumter County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 573. It is well-known as the home of Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn, who were the 39th president and first lady of the Un ...

, the third of the four children in the family of James Earl Carter, Sr. and Lillian Gordy Carter. Besides the former president, Stapleton had an older sister, Gloria (1926–1990), and a younger brother, Billy (1937–1988). All three of them died of

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...

, as did their father.

Education, career, and family

Stapleton attended Georgia State College for Women, earned her bachelor's in English from Methodist University, and her master's in psychology from the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

. Stapleton married Robert Thome Stapleton (1925–2014), a

veterinarian A veterinarian (vet) or veterinary surgeon is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, veterinarians also play a role in animal r ...

, in 1948 and they had four children: Gloria Lynn (born May 31, 1950), Sydney Scott (December 23, 1951 – December 13, 2019), Patricia Gordy (born May 29, 1954) and Robert Michael (born November 5, 1958). Stapleton suffered from chronic depression, and was involved in a car accident that nearly killed her during the time immediately following her children's births. She said she was later cured of depression at a "Christ-centered camp". In 1977, she became friends with pornographer Larry Flynt and managed to briefly convert him to Christianity. She was portrayed during this portion of Flynt's life by Donna Hanover in the film '' The People vs. Larry Flynt''. Stapleton was also known for her involvement in the faith-healing ministry, especially in healing memories. Her books ''The Gift of Inner Healing'', ''The Experience of Inner Healing'', and ''In His Footsteps: The Healing Ministry of Jesus, Then and Now'', illustrate her beliefs about inner healing, which involved healing memories, in which one would go over one's memories and bring Jesus into the memory to help one forgive or be comforted as required by Jesus.

Death

Stapleton died of

on September 26, 1983, aged 54. One month after her death, her mother died of

breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...

, aged 85.

Bibliography

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References

External links

''Georgia Encyclopedia''
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stapleton, Ruth Carter 1929 births 1983 deaths People from Plains, Georgia Carter family Gordy family Deaths from pancreatic cancer in North Carolina American evangelists Women evangelists Southern Baptists American Charismatics Baptist writers 20th-century American women American faith healers