Ruth Carter Stapleton

Ruth Carter Stapleton (née Carter) was born on August 7, 1929, in Plains, Georgia. She was the third of four children of James Earl Carter, Sr., and Lillian Gordy Carter. Her siblings included her older sister Gloria Carter Spann (1926–1990) and her younger brother Billy Carter (1937–1988). All three siblings eventually died of pancreatic cancer, as did their father.

Stapleton attended Georgia State College for Women and earned a bachelor's degree in English from Methodist University. She further obtained a master's degree in psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

In 1948, she married Robert Thome Stapleton, a veterinarian born in 1925. Together, 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 experienced chronic depression during her life. She was involved in a serious car accident that nearly resulted in her death shortly after the births of her children. She later stated that she was cured of depression at a "Christ-centered camp."

Throughout her career, Ruth Carter Stapleton was known as a Christian evangelist involved in faith-healing practices, particularly those focusing on inner healing and healing memories. She authored several books on these topics, including "Power Through Release" (1968), "In His Footsteps" (1973), "The Gift of Inner Healing" (1976), "Brother Billy" (1978), "The Experience of Inner Healing" (1979), and "In His Footsteps: The Healing Ministry of Jesus, Then and Now" (1979).

In 1977, Stapleton established a friendship with Larry Flynt, the publisher and pornography magnate, and reportedly managed to convert him briefly to Christianity. Her interaction with Flynt was depicted in the film "The People vs. Larry Flynt," where she was portrayed by Donna Hanover.

Stapleton was particularly noted for her teachings on healing memories, which involved revisiting personal memories and invoking Jesus' presence to facilitate forgiveness or comfort. Her approach emphasized spiritual healing through faith-based methods.

She passed away from pancreatic cancer on September 26, 1983, at the age of 54. One month after her death, her mother Lillian G. Carter died of breast cancer at the age of 85.