February 11, 2009 4:41 PM
- Text
Ruth Graham Buried In Private Service
(AP)
Ruth Bell Graham retained her beauty even in death and surely "had a great reception in heaven," an ailing Billy Graham told mourners who gathered to remember his beloved wife.
"I wish you could look in that casket because she's so beautiful," the influential evangelist said Saturday as he clung to his walker. "She was a wonderful woman."
Ruth Graham died Thursday at age 87 following a lengthy illness.
Sunday, after a private service, Ruth Graham was buried at the foot of a cross-shaped walkway in the Prayer Garden at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, N.C., her husband's hometown.
Her family sang "Amazing Grace" and heard messages from Billy Graham and two ministers, according to Graham spokesman Larry Ross.
"The Bible says the Lord has prepared a place for us and I know He has prepared a home for her - I hope she saves a room for me," Graham said of his wife of almost 64 years.
Ruth Graham's casket was adorned with a bed of lilies, a Christian symbol for resurrection.
Saturday, at a public funeral service, Mrs. Graham was remembered as a spiritual stalwart and modest mentor who provided a solid foundation — both biblically and geographically — for her globe-trotting husband.
"The mama that we saw at home was the mama that the world saw," said their son, Franklin, who is now the head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. He recalled his mother's headstrong and quirky nature, telling the crowd about the time she overcame a locked bedroom door by crawling on the roof, throwing a cup of cold water through his window to wake him.
"I thank you mama for your example, for your love, for your wit, for your humor, for your craziness," he said. "I love you for all of it and I'm going to miss you terribly."
After preaching to more than 210 million people around the world during a six-decade career, Billy Graham, 88, is largely confined to the couple's home in Montreat by several ailments, including prostate cancer and Parkinson's disease. He wasn't expected to speak Saturday but surprised the crowd with his words, perhaps spurred by the sight of his 19 grandchildren.
"God bless all these grandchildren. Some of them I haven't seen in a long time. Some of them I've never seen," he said, drawing laughter from the audience. "Lots of love to everyone, and thank you."
He wiped a tear away a before leaving the auditorium. Family spokesman Larry Ross said later that "the sense of loss is beginning to settle in on him."
Born in 1920 to medical missionaries in China, and after spending some of her high school years in what is now North Korea, Ruth Graham vowed to never marry and dreamed of working as a missionary in Tibet.
That changed after she met Billy Graham at Wheaton College in Illinois. They were married in 1943 at Montreat Presbyterian Church, where she attended services for the rest of her life.
As Billy Graham took his crusades and traveling ministry around the country and the world, Ruth Graham usually remained in the small North Carolina mountain town of Montreat, raising their five children while writing poetry, books and counseling college-age youth.
Her sister, Rosa Montgomery, said Graham had charged ahead with her spiritual mindset even as a young girl — once praying that God would soon make her a martyr. She was a devout and lifelong Presbyterian, declining to undergo baptism by immersion even though she was married to a famous Baptist preacher.
Ruth Graham was bedridden for months with degenerative osteoarthritis of the back and neck, and fell into a coma on Wednesday following a recent bout with pneumonia. A spokesman said she died peacefully with her husband and all five of her children at her bedside.
"Though our hearts are heavy with loss, we dare rejoice, for Ruth is home with you," said Rev. Richard White, Graham's pastor at Montreat Presbyterian. "Her sorrows are ended."
Her simple coffin, adorned with flowers, was chosen after son Franklin noticed inmates at the Louisiana State Penitentiary building the caskets for themselves and others who could not afford to purchase regular coffins.
Visitors to the library can view Ruth Graham's gravesite beginning Monday.
"I wish you could look in that casket because she's so beautiful," the influential evangelist said Saturday as he clung to his walker. "She was a wonderful woman."
Ruth Graham died Thursday at age 87 following a lengthy illness.
Sunday, after a private service, Ruth Graham was buried at the foot of a cross-shaped walkway in the Prayer Garden at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, N.C., her husband's hometown.
Her family sang "Amazing Grace" and heard messages from Billy Graham and two ministers, according to Graham spokesman Larry Ross.
"The Bible says the Lord has prepared a place for us and I know He has prepared a home for her - I hope she saves a room for me," Graham said of his wife of almost 64 years.
Ruth Graham's casket was adorned with a bed of lilies, a Christian symbol for resurrection.
Saturday, at a public funeral service, Mrs. Graham was remembered as a spiritual stalwart and modest mentor who provided a solid foundation — both biblically and geographically — for her globe-trotting husband.
"The mama that we saw at home was the mama that the world saw," said their son, Franklin, who is now the head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. He recalled his mother's headstrong and quirky nature, telling the crowd about the time she overcame a locked bedroom door by crawling on the roof, throwing a cup of cold water through his window to wake him.
"I thank you mama for your example, for your love, for your wit, for your humor, for your craziness," he said. "I love you for all of it and I'm going to miss you terribly."
After preaching to more than 210 million people around the world during a six-decade career, Billy Graham, 88, is largely confined to the couple's home in Montreat by several ailments, including prostate cancer and Parkinson's disease. He wasn't expected to speak Saturday but surprised the crowd with his words, perhaps spurred by the sight of his 19 grandchildren.
"God bless all these grandchildren. Some of them I haven't seen in a long time. Some of them I've never seen," he said, drawing laughter from the audience. "Lots of love to everyone, and thank you."
He wiped a tear away a before leaving the auditorium. Family spokesman Larry Ross said later that "the sense of loss is beginning to settle in on him."
Born in 1920 to medical missionaries in China, and after spending some of her high school years in what is now North Korea, Ruth Graham vowed to never marry and dreamed of working as a missionary in Tibet.
That changed after she met Billy Graham at Wheaton College in Illinois. They were married in 1943 at Montreat Presbyterian Church, where she attended services for the rest of her life.
As Billy Graham took his crusades and traveling ministry around the country and the world, Ruth Graham usually remained in the small North Carolina mountain town of Montreat, raising their five children while writing poetry, books and counseling college-age youth.
Her sister, Rosa Montgomery, said Graham had charged ahead with her spiritual mindset even as a young girl — once praying that God would soon make her a martyr. She was a devout and lifelong Presbyterian, declining to undergo baptism by immersion even though she was married to a famous Baptist preacher.
Ruth Graham was bedridden for months with degenerative osteoarthritis of the back and neck, and fell into a coma on Wednesday following a recent bout with pneumonia. A spokesman said she died peacefully with her husband and all five of her children at her bedside.
"Though our hearts are heavy with loss, we dare rejoice, for Ruth is home with you," said Rev. Richard White, Graham's pastor at Montreat Presbyterian. "Her sorrows are ended."
Her simple coffin, adorned with flowers, was chosen after son Franklin noticed inmates at the Louisiana State Penitentiary building the caskets for themselves and others who could not afford to purchase regular coffins.
Visitors to the library can view Ruth Graham's gravesite beginning Monday.
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