A memorial service for Dolores “Dodie” Osteen at Lakewood Church was packed Friday evening as loved ones and longtime churchgoers celebrated her life and legacy as one of the congregation’s most influential figures.
Osteen was the mother of current senior pastor Joel Osteen, and she co-founded Lakewood in 1959 with her husband, John Osteen. She died in her Houston home last week at the age of 91.
Joel Osteen, standing on stage alongside his wife, Victoria, relayed his final conversation with his mother the night before her death. They spoke on the phone and she said that she had felt a spur of nausea.
“My mom was a fighter. I’d seen her go through surgeries, fight cancer three times,” Joel Osteen said. “I thought, ‘This is another fight.’”…