Billy Graham Wife: Who was Ruth Graham?

Ruth McCue Bell Graham was a Christian author from the United States who was married to evangelist Billy Graham.

The Grahams met at Wheaton College and married shortly after graduation in the summer of 1943. Ruth Graham briefly became a minister’s wife in Western Springs, Illinois.

Ruth spent the remainder of her life in Montreat, North Carolina. The Grahams have five children: Virginia, Anne, Ruth, Franklin, and Nelson Edman, 19 grandchildren, and numerous great-grandchildren.

Ruth Graham had been in poor health since being diagnosed with spinal meningitis in 1995. This was exacerbated by degenerative osteoarthritis of the back and neck, which began in 1974 when she fell while testing a swing she made for her grandchildren, resulting in chronic back pain for many years.

She was bedridden and had pneumonia in the final months of her life. Ruth Graham was taken off life support on Monday, June 11, at her request and after consultation with her family.

She passed away at 5:05 p.m. EDT June 14, 2007, at her husband and five children’s bedside at the couple’s home, Little Piney Cove, in Montreat, North Carolina, four days after her 87th birthday. On Sunday, June 17, 2007, a private ceremony was held on the grounds of the Billy Graham Library, followed by burial.