Kay Lee Arthur was born on November 11, 1933, in Jackson, Michigan.[1] She grew up in a religious household, which moved frequently.[1]
Arthur graduated from nursing school in 1955 when she was 21 years old and married her first husband, Frank Thomas Goetz, Jr. The couple were divorced in 1961. Previously disconnected from her religion, Arthur became newly committed to Christianity in 1963.[1]
Arthur moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee to attend Tennessee Temple University, where she earned a Nursing diploma.[1] There, she met Jack Arthur (born March 14, 1926), who had graduated from TTU with a Graduate in Theology in 1956. The couple married on December 16, 1965 and served as missionaries in Mexico.[2] Medical issues forced them to leave Mexico and return to the US.[citation needed]
Career
Precept Ministries International
After returning to Chattanooga, Arthur began teaching teenagers about the Bible in the couple's living room while Jack took over as manager of a local Christian radio station.
As the Bible study group expanded, a 32-acre farm was bought in order to accommodate the growing ministry. It was originally given the name Reach Out Ranch, but later became Precept Ministries International (PMI). The radio station was sold in 1972, and Jack became a full-time administrator for the ranch.[citation needed]
Arthur has hosted a daily radio, television and online Bible study teaching program called Precepts for Life.[citation needed]
In November 2009, Arthur signed an ecumenical statement known as the Manhattan Declaration with the aim of requesting evangelicals, Catholics and Orthodox Christians not to comply with rules and laws permitting abortion, same-sex marriage and other matters that go against their religious consciences.[3]
In 2016, Arthur spoke at The Gathering, a religious rally promoting Donald Trump's presidential campaign.[4][5]
Kay has three sons (two from her first marriage, one from her second) and nine grandchildren.[1]
Arthur's husband, Jack, died from Alzheimer's disease in Chattanooga, on January 9, 2017, at age 90.[8][9]
Publishing
Arthur has won Gold Medallion Book Awards for her books A Marriage Without Regrets,[10] The New Inductive Study Bible,[11] His Imprint My Expression,[12] and Lord, I Need Grace to Make It Today.[13]
