Cyntia Applewhite was a celebrity wife who came into the limelight because of her marriage to Louis Zamperini. Zamperini’s life is based on a movie, and Cynthia played a massive role in helping her husband overcome his bad side.
Louis was a prisoner of war and a USA military man, but he married Cynthia hurriedly, something that almost cost them their marriage. Cynthia had met Zamperini at a beach, and they were engaged and ready to marry within two weeks.
Cynthia informed her parents of her wedding a night before the occasion, and they were not happy about it because they thought they hurried into marrying. Here is Cynthia Applewhite’s story!
Cynthia Applewhite Bio
Cynthia Applewhite was born to Eric Leon Applewhite and Marie Julia Hoffman on January 20, 1926, in Missouri. She grew up in a wealthy family, which was able to afford her luxury at the beach.
Cynthia met Louis Zamperini at the beach, and from the moment Zamperini set his eyes on her, he wanted to marry her. Cynthia and Zamperini tied the knot in May 1946, after they had known each other for less than a month.
When Cynthia was married, she barely knew Loius. Years after their marriage, she realized how deeply her husband was rooted in pain because of the events he had undergone. Loius was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and he sunk into heavy drinking, which almost made his relationship come to an end.
The Story of Louis Zamperini
Louis Zamperini grew famous as an Olympic long-distance runner and bombardier who survived for 47 days in the Pacific Ocean after his plane crashed. Louis suffered through the war, although the signs of his deep pain only came open after his marriage to Cynthia Applewhite.
Flashbacks and nightmares tormented Zamperini, and it led him into heavy drinking. Despite Cynthia urging him to get medical help, only a few doctors understood the post-traumatic stress disorder.
His life was not going well, and at one time, he dreamt of strangling a man who had persecuted him in the POW camp, only to wake and discover he was on top of his pregnant wife, with his hand around her neck.
Cynthia heard of Billy Graham in 1949, and she chose to hear him out. Cynthia went to Billy Graham, and after a night there, she came back to Loius and told him she was not going to divorce him. Louis was happy with the news, but Cynthia wanted him to visit Billy for revival.
Louis did not accept Christ right away, but he gave his life to Christ after some time. On the night Lois found Christ, he gave up his anger and desire for revenge and felt love and peace. Since that time, he never got the nightmares and flashbacks of the war.
Louis spent the rest of his time preaching to Christ and telling him what Christ had done for him. Louis and Cynthia were married for 55 years until she died in 2001. Her husband lived for 97 years and died in 2014.