Ruth Graham buried at N.C. library
Pastor Dale Morgan
Ruth Graham buried at N.C. library*
CHARLOTTE (AP) — Billy Graham prayed then kissed a red rose and placed
it on Ruth Graham's casket during a private burial Sunday at the library
recently opened in his honor.
Graham, 88, told his children and grandchildren that he was "looking
forward to the ... next service here" when the world's most famous
evangelist is buried next to his wife, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Ruth Graham died Thursday at age 87 following a lengthy illness. She was
her husband's closest confidant, and was remembered Saturday during a
public service in Montreat as a spiritual stalwart and modest mentor.
She was buried at the foot of a cross-shaped walkway in the woodsy
Prayer Garden at the Billy Graham Library in her husband's hometown.
Her family sang "Amazing Grace" and heard messages from Billy Graham and
two ministers, according to Graham spokesman Larry Ross, who released an
account of the service.
"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, the Christian
symbol for resurrection.
Billy Graham, like his wife, will be buried in a birch plywood coffin
built by inmates at Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, La. The
Graham's son Franklin made the request after seeing the coffins on a
visit to the Angola prison and being struck by their simplicity,
according to a statement from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
The coffins cost $215 each.
Visitors to the library starting Monday can view Ruth Graham's grave site.