Wife of Billy Graham Succumbs to Lingering Illness, Surrounded by Loved Ones at Her Deathbed

MONTREAT, N.C., June 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Mrs. Ruth Bell Graham, beloved
wife of world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham, died at 5:05 p.m. today, at
her home at Little Piney Cove in Montreat, N.C., surrounded by her husband
and all five children. She was 87. Dates and times for a family-only
interment ceremony and a public memorial service will be released when
available.
"Ruth was my life partner, and we were called by God as a team," Mr.
Graham said of his life-long marriage and ministry partner. "No one else
could have borne the load that she carried. She was a vital and integral
part of our ministry, and my work through the years would have been
impossible without her encouragement and support.
"I am so grateful to the Lord that He gave me Ruth, and especially for
these last few years we've had in the mountains together," Mr. Graham
continued. "We've rekindled the romance of our youth, and my love for her
continued to grow deeper every day. I will miss her terribly, and look
forward even more to the day I can join her in Heaven."
Mr. Graham confirmed today that his wife's final resting place will be
at the foot of a cross-shaped walkway in the Prayer Garden on the grounds
of the recently dedicated Library bearing his name adjacent to his ministry
headquarters in Charlotte. Earlier this year the Grahams agreed together
that they would be buried side-by-side at the Library, a decision made by
the two of them alone.
Ruth Bell was born June 10, 1920, in Qingjiang, Kiangsu, China, the
daughter of medical missionaries L. Nelson and Virginia Leftwich Bell. She
attended high school in Pyongyang, (now North) Korea. She first came to the
United States at the age of 7, while her parents were on furlough. She
returned to the US at the age of 17 to attend Wheaton College in Wheaton,
Ill. Shortly after his arrival on campus, she was introduced to "Preacher,"
the nickname other students gave the strapping Billy Graham from Charlotte,
North Carolina. They were married in August, 1943, following their
graduating together that June.
Between 1945 and 1958, Mrs. Graham gave birth to five children, whom
she raised - sometimes single-handedly - while her husband was away on
extended national and international evangelistic crusades. The three
daughters and two sons who survive her are all actively involved in
ministry, including eldest son Franklin, who heads the Billy Graham
Evangelistic Association (BGEA) founded by his father.
"My father would not have been what he is today if it wasn't for my
mother," Franklin said. " She stood strong for what was biblically correct
and accurate. She would help my father prepare his messages, listening with
an attentive ear, and if she saw something that wasn't right or heard
something that she felt wasn't as strong as it could be, she was a voice to
strengthen this or eliminate that. Every person needs that kind of input in
their life and she was that to my father."
In 1959, Mrs. Graham published her first book, "Our Christmas Story,"
an illustrated volume for children. She went on to write or co-author 13
other books, many of them works of poetry she wrote as an emotional release
while her husband was so often on the road through the years.
"I don't believe Mother has adequately been recognized and honored for
what she had done; because, without her, Daddy's ministry would not have
been possible," said Ruth Graham, youngest daughter - and namesake -
regarding her mother's influence and partnership in her father's ministry.
"How does one live with one of the world's most famous men?," daughter
Ruth continued. "God began training my mother for this position years ago
in China. Her parents exercised a profound effect upon the development of
her character, and laid the foundations for who she was. What she witnessed
in her family home, she practiced for herself - dependence on God in every
circumstance, love for His Word, concern for others above self, and an
indomitable spirit displayed with a smile.
"Her happiness and fulfillment did not depend on her circumstances,"
the younger Ruth concluded. "She was a lovely, beautiful and wise woman,
because early in life she made Christ her home, her purpose, her center,
her confidant, and her vision."
Mrs. Graham's significant role in Mr. Graham's ministry was recognized
in 1996, when they were jointly awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in a
special ceremony in the Capital Rotunda in Washington, which reflected a
consensus of love and support from all branches of government in
attendance.
Ruth Graham was always a vital part of Mr. Graham's evangelistic
career, and he turned to her for advice and input about many ministry
decisions. One of the early uses of media by the BGEA was the "Hour of
Decision" radio program begun in 1950, which she named. After her
upbringing in China and high school experience in Korea, she continued to
have a burden for the people of Asia. She encouraged her husband to visit
and later accompanied him during his historic visits to the People's
Republic of China.
Ruth Graham has been in frail health since suffering spinal meningitis
in 1995. That was exacerbated by a degenerative back condition that began
with a fall out of a tree while helping a grandchild fix a swing in 1974
that resulted in chronic back pain for many years. Bedridden or
wheelchair-bound since the late 1990s, Mrs. Graham wasn't able to accompany
her husband during his last few years of ministry, but was always a
continued source of inspiration and support for her him through her prayers
and wise biblical counsel.
Mrs. Graham is survived by her husband Billy: daughters, Virginia, Anne
Morrow, and Ruth Bell; sons William Franklin, III, and Nelson Edman; 19
grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren.