On the way home awhile ago, I heard the news that Ruth Graham, Billy Graham’s wife, had died. The radio newscaster remarked that Billy had said something to the effect that he couldn’t “imagine a world without my soulmate of 65 years.” Sixty-five years of marriage is incredible, and when I read of how they felt towards each other, it becomes even more incredible because they continued to feel love and tenderness for each other - through so many of life’s ups and downs.

Here’s the news story:

Billy Graham’s Wife Ruth Dies at 87
By MIKE BAKER
AP
RALEIGH, N.C. (June 14) - Ruth Graham , who surrendered dreams of missionary work in Tibet to marry a suitor who became the world’s most renowned evangelist, died Thursday. She was 87.
Graham died at 5:05 p.m. at her home at Little Piney Cove, surrounded by her husband and all five children, said a statement released by Larry Ross, Billy Graham’s spokesman.

“Ruth was my life partner, and we were called by God as a team,” Billy Graham said in a statement. “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. 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 Graham has been bedridden for months with degenerative osteoarthritis of the back and neck and underwent treatment for pneumonia two weeks ago. At her request, and in consultation with her family, she had stopped receiving nutrients through a feeding tube for the last few days, Ross said.

The family plans a private interment ceremony and a public memorial service. Those arrangement had yet to be made on Thursday.

As Mrs. Billy Graham, Ruth Graham could lay claim to being the first lady of evangelical Protestantism, but neither exploited that unique status nor lusted for the limelight.

Behind the scenes, however, Ruth Graham was considered her husband’s closest confidant during his spectacular global career - rivaled only by her father, L. Nelson Bell, until his death in 1973.

Bell, a missionary doctor, headed the Presbyterian hospital in Qingjiang, China, that had been founded by the father of author Pearl Buck. Ruth grew up there and spent three high school years in what’s now North Korea .

Here’s a photo of them early in their marriage while traveling in Paris:

Love like that gives us hope for our own relationships.

Hi Adeline, I think it is wonderful that they have obviously had such a long and wonderful life together. It’s sad that it, as all things, comes to an end. I’ve always thought he must live as he preached because if there was anything anyone could have found on him they surely would have. hazel

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