ChristianWeek

CHARLOTTE, NC—The wife of evangelist Billy Graham—and the woman he often described as the "greatest Christian" he'd ever known—has died. Ruth Bell Graham died at her home in Montreat, North Carolina June 14, following an extended illness. Her husband and children were at her side. She was 87.

She was buried in a plain, plywood casket following a private interment at the foot of a cross-shaped walkway on the grounds of the recently dedicated Billy Graham Library. The library is located in her husband's hometown of Charlotte.

Ruth was born June 10, 1920 in China?to Presbyterian medical missionaries L. Nelson Bell and?Virginia Leftwich Bell. She remained committed to her Presbyterian heritage throughout her life. Her longtime pastor at Montreat Presbyterian Church, Richard White, led a public memorial service, June 16.

Ruth attended high school in Pyongyang, (now North Korea). At 17, she entered Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. It was there that she met Billy Graham. They graduated together in June 1943, and were married that August.

From 1945 to 1958, Ruth gave birth to five children; three daughters then two sons. With her husband often away from home, traveling the world on extended evangelistic crusades, she raised their children almost single-handedly. All five are actively involved in ministry today, including eldest son Franklin, who heads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) founded by his father.

Tower of strength

During a recent media tour of the library, Franklin told reporters his mother was "the strength behind" his father. "Sometimes, daddy just felt like he couldn't go on," Franklin explained. "She was the one [who would say], 'go on Bill—you can do it. I'll be praying for you. Don't worry. I'll go home, take care of the kids, and you just go.'" "She was a great source of encouragement for his ministry," he reflected.

They are sentiments Billy Graham echoed in a brief statement released following his wife's death. "Ruth was my life partner, and we were called by God as a team," the statement reads. "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."

A published author of 14 books and countless poems, Ruth helped her husband prepare his messages and research his books. She was known to scour newspapers, libraries and secondhand bookstores looking for sermon illustrations for him.

"My father would not have been what he is today if it wasn't for my mother," said Franklin. "She stood strong for what was biblically correct and accurate…every person needs that kind of input in their life and she was that to my father."

In what has been widely noted as a tribute to her contribution to her husband's ministry, Ruth and Billy Graham were jointly awarded the United States government's Congressional Gold Medal in a special Washington ceremony in 1996.

Unforgettable moments

100 Huntley Street host Moira Brown recalls "one unforgettable day" with Ruth in 1992, when they met at the Graham homestead to tape several interviews. It was a day Brown describes as "fun and comfortable."

"It was like spending a day with your mother," says the broadcaster. "She was a godly woman who was so wise; a petite, gentle-spirited woman with a lot of spunk."

In a message of condolence to the Graham family, Geoff Tunnicliffe, director of global initiatives for the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada and international director of the World Evangelical Alliance called Ruth, "a woman of great personal faith," and one who "made a profound contribution to the worldwide Christian family."

She had been in frail health since suffering spinal meningitis in 1995 and had been bedridden or wheelchair-bound since the late 1990s.

She 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.