LINDALE, TX (ANS) -- Gwen Wilkerson, wife of the late Rev. David Wilkerson, passed away Thursday morning. She was 81.

Gwen and David Wilkerson

Announcing her death on Thursday,, Debbie, Bonnie, Greg and Gary Wilkerson said in a joint statement on the World Challenge (www.worldchallenge.org) website, “This morning at 10:30am CST our beloved mother, Gwen Wilkerson, passed away. She was 81 and went to be with Christ with great peace and even anticipation. She had an amazing resolve and unshakeable faith, exemplified throughout her life in her numerous battles with cancer. Her miraculous story was told in her faith-building book, Abiding in His Strength.

“Her husband of 58 years and our father, David Wilkerson, passed away in April of 2011. Ever since then Mom has longed to go to be with Christ in heaven. We are comforted knowing she has entered her reward.

“We are grateful to our World Challenge partners for all your prayers. She prayed for you daily and always considered it a great privilege to be part of this ministry.”

CBN News (www.CBNNews.com) wrote, “Mrs. Wilkerson's death comes just over a year after a car crash claimed the life of her husband. The April 2011 accident left her temporarily wheelchair-bound,” said a story released by.

“The devastating crash and resulting death of her husband was latest of several challenges Mrs. Wilkerson faced in her life, including several battles with cancer. Her family said she faced each tragedy with steadfast faith.”

Rev. Wilkerson founded Times Square Church in New York City and is the author of the well-known book, The Cross and the Switchblade (which was written with John and Elizabeth Sherrill). He also founded World Challenge in 1971.

“The renowned pastor was killed April 27, 2011 in a head-on collision with a tractor trailer in Texas. He was 79,” added the CBN News.

Dan Wooding, 71, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for 48 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS) and was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC. He hosts the weekly “Front Page Radio” show on the KWVE Radio Network in Southern California and which is also carried throughout the United States. The program is also aired in Great Britain on Calvary Chapel Radio UK and also in Belize and South Africa. Besides this, Wooding is a host for His Channel Live, which is carried via the Internet to some 192 countries and also provides a regular commentary for Worship Life Radio on KWVE. You can follow Dan Wooding on Facebook under his name there or at ASSIST News Service. Dan has recently received two top media awards -- the "Passion for the Persecuted" award from Open Doors US, and one of the top "Newsmakers of 2011" from Plain Truth magazine. He is the author of some 44 books, the latest of which is "Caped Crusader: Rick Wakeman in the 1970s." To order a copy, go to: http://www.amazon.com/CAPED-CRUSADER-Rick-Wakeman-1970s/dp/1908728302/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335474883&sr=1-1 . Wooding, who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, has also recently released his first novel “Red Dagger” which is available this link.