Ruth Bell Graham 1920 - 2007

Mrs. Ruth Bell Graham, beloved wife of evangelist Billy Graham, died on June 14th, at her home in Montreat, N.C., surrounded by her husband and all five children, at the age of 87. A public funeral service to honor Mrs. Graham has been scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 16 in Anderson Auditorium at the Montreat Conference Center in Montreat, N.C.

“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.”

Ruth Bell was born June 10, 1920, in Qingjiang, Kiangsu, , the daughter of medical missionaries L. Nelson and Virginia Bell. She attended high school in Pyongyang, (now North) . She first came to the at the age of 7, while her parents were on furlough. She returned to the at the age of 17 to attend Wheaton College. Shortly after she was introduced toBilly Graham, known as “Preacher” on the campus. They were married in August, 1943, following their June graduation.

Between 1945 and 1958, Mrs. Graham gave birth to five children. 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, the first of 13. Her 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, although Ruth Graham was always a vital part of Mr. Graham’s evangelistic career. 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 and high school experience in , she continued to have a burden for the people of Asia, encouraging her husband to visit and later accompanying him during his historic visits to .

Ruth Graham has been in frail health since suffering spinal meningitis in 1995. 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 continued to be a source of inspiration and support for him.

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.