Biographical Details
Gaither was raised a Baptist preacher's son in New Castle, Pennsylvania. He was the only son among five children born to the Rev. Israel L. Gaither, Sr. and Lillian Gaither. He took Salvation Army officer training in New York, and has led congregations in Pennsylvania and New York.
Eva D. Gaither was born Eva Shue in Sidney, Ohio, one the five children born to Richard and Merle Shue, and the fifth generation of her family to become a Salvationist.
Gaither and Shue married in 1967, breaking ground as the first interracial marriage between Salvation Army officers in the United States. Eva Gaither is white, and in 1967, interracial marriage was still illegal in many states. They have two children, Michele Gaither Sparks and Mark Gaither, and four grandchildren, Isaiah, Matthew, Virginia and Andrew.
Gaither is the subject of a biography by Henry Gariepy which was released in late 2006.
The Gaithers were officially retired from active service, as Salvation Army Officers on October 31, 2010.
Read more about this topic: Israel Gaither
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