By Elizabeth O’Brien
MONTREAT, North Carolina, June 15, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – On Thursday evenin Mrs. Ruth Bell Graham, life-long wife of evangelist Billy Graham, died peacefully at home from complications of pneumonia. She passed away at age 87 surrounded by her five children, all of whom are involved in ministry. She left 19 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren as well.
Ruth was born on June 10, 1920, in China to medical missionaries L. Nelson and Virginia Bell. Although she first came to the United States at the age of seven, she returned permanently at 17 to attend Wheaton College. Here she met and married Billy “Preacher” Graham in 1943, shortly following their graduation.
“My father would not have been what he is today if it wasn’t for my mother,” said their eldest son Franklin, head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. “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.”
An author or co-author of 14 books in total, Ruth reviewed her husband’s works as well. One day when she was reading Mr. Graham’s manuscript for World Aflame (1965), she came across a particularly vivid chapter describing the spiritual state of America. After she finished reading, Ruth exclaimed, “If God doesn’t soon bring judgment upon America, He’ll have to go back and apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah!” These words became a world-famous symbol for describing the depth of modern corruption.
Ruth Graham was constantly involved in Mr. Graham’s work through her advice, prayer and support. Having a great heart for Asia, she encouraged him to visit China and accompanied him there as well. Her role in Mr. Graham’s ministry was officially recognized in 1996, when Mr. and Mrs. Graham were jointly awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in Washington.
“Ruth was my life partner, and we were called by God as a team,” said Mr. Graham. “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.”
The youngest daughter Ruth, commented on her mother’s role, “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,” 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.”
President Bush also issued his condolences, “Laura and I are deeply saddened by the death of Ruth Bell Graham, a remarkable woman of faith whose life was defined by her belief in a personal, loving, and gracious God…She inspired people around the world with her humor, intelligence, elegance, and kindness. Laura and I offer our prayers and condolences to Billy and the Graham family.”
Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, praised Ruth as a Christian role model, saying, “Ruth Graham’s gentle spirit and deep devotion to God fashioned her into a lovely model of Christian womanhood. She lived humbly in the glow of Billy’s spotlight, her life quietly yet profoundly showing ‘This is the way, walk in it.’ Ruth was a rare person for whom fame did not distract her from what is True, right and best. Heaven must be rejoicing as the One she loved most welcomes her home.
A funeral service open to the public will be held on June 16 in the Anderson Auditorium at the Montreat Conference Center. A private burial service will take place the next day at the Prayer Garden on the grounds of the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, N.C. Mr. and Mrs. Graham recently decided to be buried there together.
Visit the Ruth Bell Graham Memorial Online:
https://www.billygraham.org/RBG_Default.asp