With deep sorrow and profound gratitude for a life well-lived, the Osteen family has announced the passing of Dolores “Dodie” Osteen, the beloved matriarch of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. She died peacefully of natural causes at her home on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, at the age of 91.
In a heartfelt message shared across social media, Pastor Joel Osteen, her son and current senior pastor of Lakewood Church, wrote:
“It is with a heavy heart that Victoria and I, along with our family, announce the passing of our cherished mother and grandmother, Dolores ‘Dodie’ Osteen. She was the beloved matriarch of Lakewood Church, an inspiration to millions of people around the world, and a faithful servant of God. Known as ‘Mama Dodie’ to the entire Lakewood family, together, we celebrate her amazing life and lasting legacy.”
Dodie Osteen was not only a mother and grandmother but also a spiritual mother to millions of believers around the world. She and her late husband, Pastor John Osteen, founded Lakewood Church on Mother’s Day in 1959, with just a small gathering of believers in a humble feed store on the outskirts of Houston.
Over the following decades, they nurtured and grew the church into a vibrant, multicultural, and international ministry known today as one of the largest churches in the United States. After John Osteen’s passing in 1999, Dodie continued to serve the church faithfully alongside her son Joel, who stepped into the role of senior pastor.
While she never held a formal title, “Mama Dodie,” as she was affectionately called, remained a consistent presence at services, in prayer gatherings, and in the lives of Lakewood’s members.
Her calm, faith-filled demeanor and unwavering love for people made her a living example of Christian devotion. In 1981, Dodie was diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer and given only weeks to live. Refusing to accept the prognosis as final, she turned to her faith with fervent prayer and Scripture-based healing.
She chronicled this extraordinary journey in her best-selling book, “Healed of Cancer” (1986), which has brought hope to countless others facing life-threatening illnesses. Her miraculous healing was not just physical—it became a cornerstone testimony for Lakewood Church and its message of faith, hope, and divine healing.
Beyond her work in the church, Dodie Osteen was known for her gentle strength, her handwritten notes of encouragement, and her habit of personally praying for those in need, often laying hands on the sick and believing in their recovery. Her deep compassion and personal ministry touched lives far beyond the church walls.
Today, Lakewood Church holds its services at the former Houston Summit/Compaq Center on the Southwest Freeway. With a weekly reach of millions through broadcasts and streaming, much of the church’s current global impact can be traced back to the quiet obedience and faith of its founders, John and Dodie Osteen.
Dodie Osteen’s legacy is not only in the global ministry she helped build, but in the way she lived—with a tender heart, enduring faith, and unshakable hope in the goodness of God. She will be remembered as a woman of prayer, a spiritual warrior, and a beacon of love and resilience.
She is survived by her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and her entire extended Lakewood Church family. Funeral arrangements and public memorial details will be announced by the family in the coming days.
