American pastor, speaker, author, and widely syndicated radio and television broadcaster in the United States, Dr. Tony Evans, has announced his engagement to his fiancé, Dr. Carla Crummie, three years after he lost his wife of 49 years, Lois Irene Evans.
The 74-year-old, who is the pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, made the announcement to his congregation, with family members joining him on stage.
Dr. Tony Evans said it was a “tender time” coming up on the fourth anniversary of Lois’ death, and he thanked his church family for grieving with him and letting him grieve with them when they had losses.
In the televised announcement, he said that he was “aware that this might invoke some grief in some people”, which he said he could understand.
Dr. Tony Evans thanked God for putting Dr. Crummie in his life. He said that Dr. Crummie “had walked a similar path,” referring to the fact that Dr. Crummie’s husband had died not long after Dr. Evans’s wife.
In fact, he died while he and his wife were on their way to Lois’s funeral. Both Dr. Evans and Dr. Crummie had lost a parent in the year after they lost their spouses.
He told the congregation, “As I’ve tried to share the ups and downs of my life with you, I wanted to share this with you and let you meet my new fiancee, Miss Carla Crummie.”
The crowd cheered and applauded when they saw Carla. Dr. Evans said that it was “a sensitive time because times like this make you think of loss.” He asked his church to pray for him with “sensitivity” as they go through this journey.