Service Arrangements Released For Former Billy Graham Crusades Music & Program Director, Cliff Barrows

Photos Provided By The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

UPDATE: The BGEA sent out the following release Wednesday regarding the memorial and funeral arrangements for Cliff Barrows:

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The life and ministry of Cliff Barrows will be celebrated during a funeral service on Tuesday, Nov. 22, at 10:30 a.m. at Calvary Church in Charlotte. Barrows passed away yesterday at the age of 93. For more than 60 years, Barrows was one of the most vital components – and most recognized faces and voices – of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s worldwide ministry.

The service will be open to the public, and doors will open at 9:30 a.m. Parking is available on-site at Calvary Church.

Following the service, Barrows will be laid to rest on the grounds of the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte during a private ceremony for family and very close friends. The Billy Graham Library will be closed on Tuesday, Nov. 22, and will reopen to the public on Wednesday, Nov. 23.

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CHARLOTTE, NC — Officials with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association confirm that 93-year-old Cliff Barrows, of Marvin, NC, has passed away.

According to a release, officials say Barrows, the longtime music and program director of the BGEA, passed away at CMC-Pineville Tuesday following a brief illness.

You can read a portion of the release sent out by the Billy Graham E.A. below.

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As longtime director of music programming, and later television and radio programming, for Billy Graham Crusades, Barrows traveled the world with Billy Graham since the first Crusade in Grand Rapids, Mich., in 1947. Barrows hosted the weekly Hour of Decision radio program, heard around the world, for more than 60 years.

Barrows and Graham met in 1945 while Barrows was on his honeymoon. The two men soon formed the first team of what was to later become the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

“Cliff Barrows was the voice behind my father for 60 years, emceeing the platform for his Crusades and ‘The Hour of Decision’ radio program,” said Franklin Graham. “Not only was he one of my father’s closest friends, but he was a friend to all of us on the team and in the family. Growing up, and until the day of his death, I called him Uncle Cliff. He was very much a part of our family. My father has said: “The remarkable contribution Cliff has made to my ministry cannot be measured in human terms. I love him like a brother.”  His counsel and suggestions were invaluable. He was a great friend and will be missed by all of us.  Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Ann and the entire Barrows family.

For his significant contributions to Gospel music, Barrows was inducted into the Nashville Gospel Music Hall of Fame in April 1988 and into the Religious Broadcasting Hall of Fame in February 1996. Barrows was also inducted into the inaugural class of the Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists’ “Hall of Faith” in 2008.

Son of Harriet M. and Charles Tilson Barrows (both deceased), Cliff Barrows was born and raised in Ceres, Calif. He is survived by his wife, Ann, and five children (from his first marriage) and their spouses – Chris and Bonnie Thomas, Bob Barrows, David and Betty Ruth Seera, Clifford (Bud) Barrows, and Bill and Teri Barrows – and numerous grandchildren. He is also survived by Ann Barrows’ children and their spouses, Tal and Teresa Prince and David and Dana Shillington. Barrows was preceded in death by his first wife, Billie.

A public funeral service for Barrows will be held at Calvary Church in Charlotte, N.C. (5801 Pineville–Matthews Road), on Tuesday, Nov. 22, at 10:30 a.m., followed by a private interment.

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You can also visit a special memorial website for Barrows by clicking here.