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George Beverly Shea (February 1, 1909 – April 16, 2013) was a Canadian-born American gospel singer and hymn composer. Shea was often described as "America's beloved gospel singer" and was considered "the first international singing 'star' of the gospel world," as a consequence of his solos at Billy Graham Crusades and his exposure on radio, records and television. Because of the large attendance at Graham's Crusades, it is estimated that Shea sang live before more people than anyone else in history. Personal life Early life and family George Beverly Shea was born in Winchester, Ontario, Canada, on February 1, 1909, the fourth of eight children of the Rev. Adam Joseph Shea (1872–1946), a Wesleyan Methodist Church—now Wesleyan Church—minister, and his wife, Maude Mary Theodora (Whitney) Shea (1881–1971). His uncle, Isaac Shea (1865-1946) of Winchester had fought in the Second Boer War with the Royal Canadian Dragoons. Religious background The Shea family served at the Wesleyan Methodist church in Winchester, Ontario, Canada; Houghton, New York (1917–1921); the Sunnyside Wesleyan Methodist church in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, from 1921; at the Willett Memorial Wesleyan Methodist Church at Midler Avenue, Syracuse, New York; and the Jersey City, New Jersey Wesleyan Methodist church during his youth. Shea himself said that he became a Christian at the age of five or six, but made a rededication to Christ when he was 18, at the Sunnyside Wesleyan Methodist Church in Ottawa: [T]here were times when I needed to rededicate my life to the Lord Jesus. When I was 18, my dad was pastoring a church in Ottawa, and I was feeling not too spiritual. The church was having a "special effort," as they called it, for a week. I remember that on Friday night Dad came down from the pulpit and tenderly placed his hand on my shoulder. He whispered, "I think tonight might be the night, son, when you come back to the Lord." Whatever Dad did or said, I listened to him and respected him. And, yes, that was the night! Musical background Shea was taught to play the violin by his father, and the piano and organ by his mother. Shea's bass-baritone voice brought early recognition and provided many opportunities for him to sing in his father's church. He began singing at religious meetings in the Ottawa Valley. Education Shea attended Annesley College in Ottawa, before transferring in 1928 to Houghton College (Houghton, New York), where he studied singing with Herman Baker. While studying at Houghton College, Shea sang with the Houghton College Glee Club. Financial difficulties made it necessary for him to terminate his studies in 1929. Life insurance company employment After leaving college, Shea became a clerk in the medical department in the New York City offices of the Mutual of New York life insurance company, where he worked for the next nine years. Marriages and children Shea married his childhood sweetheart, Erma L. Scharfe (1908–1976) on 16 June 1934. Shea and Erma had two children: Ronnie and Elaine. Shea's children became Christians at an early age. Shea's daughter Elaine became a Christian at the age of 8 during a Billy Graham Crusade at the Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, in 1958. In 1959 Ron responded to an invitation by Billy Graham during one of the Crusade meetings in Sydney, Australia and was counseled by Grady Wilson. Erma Shea died in September 1976, and memorial services were held at Western Springs, Illinois, on 8 September 1976. On 19 December 1985 Shea married Karlene Aceto (1942 -), a 1972 graduate of Montreat College, in Montreat, North Carolina. In a September 2007 interview Shea recalled how he met and married his second wife, Karlene: It has been 20 years of bliss. I was a widower for 10 years in a suburb of Chicago and that's a long time. When we were over in Korea in 1984, Billy brought me into his room and said, 'I've been talking to Ruth, my wife, in Montreat this morning on the phone and we think that 10 years is enough,' and so he mentioned Karlene's name. Mr. Graham didn't do the service. We had the pastor of our church here and he put on his nice robe and we were married in Billy's home. Shea, who became a naturalized American citizen in 1941, and his wife, Karlene, who was 33 years his junior, lived in Montreat, North Carolina, on the same road as Billy Graham's home. Death A centenarian, Shea died on April 16, 2013, at the age of 104 from complications following a stroke. He was buried on the grounds of the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina. A reed organ owned by Shea now belongs to Art Robinson. Ministry New York (1929–1939) As a result of the recommendation of American opera baritone John Charles Thomas (born 6 September 1891 – died 13 December 1960), Shea studied singing under Gino Monaco, Thomas's own vocal coach. While working for Mutual Life in New York City Shea appeared on an amateur hour program hosted by Fred Allen on NBC radio. Despite losing to a yodeler, Shea earned second place, and a spot singing popular music on Allen's program, probably a precursor to Allen's Town Hall Tonight. Although Shea "impressed the critics and scores of fans", he still didn't feel he had discovered a direction for his life. In 1933 a network radio director heard Shea sing and arranged an audition to sing popular secular songs for Your Hit Parade, a national program with the Lyn Murray Singers broadcast on the NBC network. Shea passed the audition and was offered a job, but reluctantly turned the position down because he didn't feel right about performing secular music. Shea sang regularly on radio station WHN, and on Erling C. Olsen's Meditations in the Psalms broadcast on radio station WMCA, as well as doing 30-minute programs from 7-7:30 am on WKBO in Jersey City, New Jersey. Shea also appeared on WKBO's "the Old Fashioned Gospel Hour." Shea sang on the Young Person's Church of the Air radio program, which had been started by Percy Crawford (1902–60) in Philadelphia in 1931 on Radio station WIP. Shea began his recording career at the U.S. branch of Decca Records after being signed by A & R representative Jack Kapp, who told Shea: "If you do better than the singer we have in mind, we will give you a contract. If not, you'll have to take the records on yourself. Shea recorded "Jesus Whispers Peace," "Lead Me Gently Home, Father," "I'd Rather Have Jesus," and "God Understands," accompanied by Ruth Crawford (wife of Percy Crawford) on the organ. About 7,000 copies were sold, and they are prized by music lovers today, the majority being Protestant Christians like Shea. Chicago (1939–1952) In 1939 Shea auditioned unsuccessfully for a spot on a CBS radio program that originated in Chicago, Illinois. WMBI (1939–1944) Soon after Dr. Will Houghton, president of the Moody Bible Institute (MBI) offered Shea a staff position with "duties that included emceeing, interviewing, news-casting, continuity writing, programming, administration, auditionin.... Discover the W Terry Whalin popular books. Find the top 100 most popular W Terry Whalin books.