Ruth Stafford Peale
WIFE OF LATE DR. NORMAN VINCENT PEALE, DIES AT THE AGE OF 101
Horn and Thomes, Inc. Funeral Home

Pawling, NY — Ruth Stafford Peale, chairman of the board emeritus and co-founder of Guideposts, died Wednesday, February 6, 2008, at her home in Pawling, NY.  She was 101.

Along with her husband, the late Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, she founded the Guideposts organization in the 1940s to provide inspirational products and services developed from the belief that people’s lives can be improved, strengthened and deepened through applied spiritual faith.  Best known is Guideposts, a magazine containing “True Stories of Hope and Inspiration,” which is today among the top 25 largest publications in America with a paid circulation of 2.5 million and a readership of 8 million. 

Born in Fonda, Iowa, she graduated from Syracuse University and taught high school mathematics before her 63-year marriage to Dr. Peale.  She was the mother of Margaret Peale Everett, Dr. John Stafford Peale, and Elizabeth Peale Allen, grandmother of eight, and great-grandmother of fourteen. 

Mrs. Peale worked closely with her husband, one of the foremost preachers and motivational speakers of the twentieth century and author of the inspirational bestseller, The Power of Positive Thinking, in all aspects of his life and work. She, herself, was a religious leader, public speaker and author, influencing the lives of millions.

Instrumental in the launch of Guideposts in 1945, she also arranged for publication of her husband’s sermons in an innovative program that grew into the Peale Center, located in Pawling, NY.  Under Mrs. Peale’s guidance, the two organizations blended their strengths in 1995 to form     the current Guideposts organization.  The outreach division of Guideposts, located at the Peale Center, transforms lives in lasting ways through a number of activities.  The Ruth Stafford Peale

Prayer Power Network, the worldwide prayer fellowship named in her honor, receives approximately 600,000 prayers a year and will soon launch OurPrayer.org, a new global online prayer community.  The Knit for Kids program distributes nearly 500,000 handmade sweaters worldwide to children in need.  In addition, Guideposts distributes hundreds of thousands of free magazines and booklets each year to hospitals, nursing homes, military organizations and relief agencies.

During her lifetime, Mrs. Peale received numerous national awards and honors, including the Horatio Alger Award for Distinguished Americans, four honorary doctoral degrees, and listings in Who’s Who in Americaand Who’s Who in the World.

She was a member of the board of directors of the American Bible Society, Interchurch Center, Institutes of Religion and Health and National Bible Association.  Mrs. Peale wrote numerous articles that appeared in Reader’s Digest, Woman’s Day and Saturday Evening Post and was the author of the book, Secrets of Staying in Love, published by Thomas Nelson.  Well into her 90’s, Mrs. Peale was active in her executive roles with Guideposts, addressed church, business and women’s groups across the country, and appeared on national television broadcasts.

Among her other distinctions, she was the first woman president of the National Board of North American Missions of the Reformed Church in America and the first woman chairman of the Planning and Program Committee of the National Council of Churches 1966 Assembly.  Mrs. Peale served for 10 years as national president of the Women’s Board of Domestic Missions of the Reformed Church in America, as vice president of the Council of Churches of the City of New York and of the National Council of Churches, as a trustee of Hope College in Holland, MI, Champlain College in Burlington, VT, and Syracuse University in New York, and as a member of the National Women’s Board of Northwood Institute.

Visitation will be held at the Horn & Thomes, Inc. Funeral Home, 83 East Main Street, Pawling, on Sunday, February 10, 2008, from 2-3 p.m.

A reception for Mrs. Peale will be held on Sunday, February 10, 2008 at the Peale Center for Christian Living, 70 Route 22, Pawling, NY from 4-7pm.

Funeral services will be conducted on Monday, February 11, 2008 at 11am at Christ Church, Quaker Hill, Pawling, NY. A reception will follow at Lankler Hall.  Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that gifts be sent to the Ruth Stafford Peale Memorial Fund and forwarded to Guideposts, 39 Seminary Hill Road, Carmel, NY 10512.