Walter Cronkite Joins Wife Betsy In Death

Friday evening, Walter Cronkite, the legendary CBS Evening News anchor and quite possibly the most famous TV news journalist in American history, passed away. He was 92 and in ailing health.

"My father Walter Cronkite died," the New York Times quoted his son Chip as saying, reminding the world that Cronkite wasn't just "the most trusted man in America" (as he was often called) but also the head of a family. Secrets to a Happy Marriage

Born in Missouri and raised in Texas, Cronkite met his future wife, Mary Elizabeth Maxwell ("Betsy"), in 1936 — a year after he dropped out of college to pursue a journalism career. He was working for Oklahoma City radio station WKY at the time. The two read a commercial together. One of Cronkite's lines was: "You look like an angel."

In the coming years, he and Betsy welcomed two daughters, Nancy and Kathy and son Walter III ("Chip"), and Cronkite saw his career go from investigating local stories to landing ashore on D-Day and covering the Nuremburg Trials for United Press International. The Danger In Putting The Kids First

In 1950 he joined CBS, and in 1962 he became a household name when he took on his most famous role: anchor of the CBS Evening News.

Known for his professionalism and objectivity, Cronkite broke form only a few times as CBS's anchor: most notably when he brushed away tears after announcing John F. Kennedy's assassination and when he spoke out against the war in Vietnam during a nightly broadcast. How To Keep A Military Marriage Strong

In addition to his three children, Cronkite also leaves behind four grandchildren. Betsy died in 2005, 64 years after the two married. He will be buried next to her at their family plot in Missouri.

Photo courtesy of Bauer Griffin.